CarJack Deliberate Intentions
by Brownwyn18
Summary: All Jack and Carly have ever wanted is to be together, raise their kids and be happy. The outside world will always pose a threat... can their love withstand? Will they prove once and for all that nothing will ever come between them again no matter who and what threaten to try and break them up for good?
1. Prologue

_*Author's Note: Welcome to my newest CarJack fanfic - Deliberate Intentions. I'm super excited about this new story and I hope that all of you will enjoy it as well. This first chapter is more of a prologue to the story rather than a true first chapter. I wanted to set it up and get the basics down as far as where we're at. This story does take place within a months time of where my other story, Unfinished Business, left off. If you haven't read that story, it isn't essential but it will make more sense. Once again, thanks so much for reading... enjoy!_

_~B_

**Prologue**

Lily walked down the hall of the Lakeview until she came to the door with the brass nameplate that read: Lisa Grimaldi. She knocked gently on the door and opened it once she heard "Come in," from the other side of the door.

"Hello Lisa," Lily smiled as she walked in but then stopped short as a very handsome man stood up from one of the chairs in the office and turned around to greet Lily.

"Hello Lily," Lisa smiled as she stood up as well. "I'd like to introduce you to Mr. Kyle Gregson. Mr. Gregson, this is Lily Snyder my partner."

"It's a pleasure meeting you," Mr. Gregson smiled warmly. He extended his hand and Lily shook it.

Mr. Gregson was tall with dark brown hair and green eyes. He had a polished air about him and Lily could tell by his manners and articulation that he was well bred. He had on a tailored suit that fit him perfectly and she could tell that it was very expensive. Clearly image was important to him.

"It's nice to meet you too," she smiled though she looked a bit confused.

"I'm sorry for the confusion," Mr. Gregson replied gesturing toward the chair next to his. Lily sat down but cast a curious look toward Lisa.

"I asked Ms. Grimaldi to set up this meeting so I could propose my ideas to both of you."

"What ideas might those be?" Lily asked.

"Remember our conversation last week," Lisa cut in. "About redecorating the Lakeview…" she left the question open-ended.

"Yes, of course I do," Lily replied.

"Well, Mr. Gregson here is a consultant. He comes highly recommended."

"I see," Lily began. "I guess I didn't realize that you were so anxious to get started on the remodeling project," she said looking directly at Lisa and ignoring Mr. Gregson.

"I hope I haven't caused any problems," Mr. Gregson said concerned.

"No you haven't," Lily reassured him with a smile. "I'm just surprised that's all."

"Well good. I certainly wouldn't want to cause any friction between partners," he smiled back. "Here's a proposal and some preliminary suggestions," he handed Lily her own set of paperwork.

The three of them spent the half hour or so going over the proposed budget and plans.

"I have the names of a couple of designers that I know would be able to do the work, but perhaps either of you have a particular designer in mind. We could certainly set up a meeting to speak with him or her about the proposed design plans," Mr. Gregson offered.

"Well, I would ask Barbara but she's very busy with that new husband of hers and Metro. It seems like she really is done with the design business," Lisa added more to herself than out loud.

"What about you?" Mr. Gregson asked looking at Lily.

"I have someone in mind," she said remaining cryptic.

"Well, why don't you approach them about it and then we could meet back here next week if that works for everyone's schedule," Mr. Gregson offered.

"That works for me," Lisa smiled.

"I'll let you know what day would work best," Lily said getting to her feet and extending her hand toward Mr. Gregson.

"It was a pleasure meeting you," he smiled.

"Same here," Lily smiled back. "Lisa I'll call you," she said as she headed out of the office closing the door behind her.

"Well that seemed to go well," Mr. Gregson smiled at Lisa.

"And I think it worked perfectly," Lisa grinned back.

_Meanwhile over in Milltown…_

"Carly could you toss me down a clean shirt?" Jack yelled up to his wife. "It seems someone thought it would be a good idea to spit up all over daddy," Jack laughed. He smiled down at the baby boy he was holding. Michael cooed at his father at Jack cleaned his face of the strained carrots he'd been eating.

"What a mess!" Carly exclaimed coming down the stairs and spying the explosion. She laid Jack's shirt across the arm of the sofa.

"Come here to me you messy thing," Carly giggled as she held out her hands for Michael.

"You got it," Jack teased and he stood up with the baby and wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. Effectively sharing the carrots with her.

"Jack! I didn't mean you," she groaned but couldn't help but laugh as Jack bent his head and playfully kissed her neck.

"Oh, my mistake… I thought you meant me," he laughed. She hit him on the arm and he handed off Michael to her.

"Ugh… now we both need a bath," she said making a funny face at Michael and he responded with a huge grin.

"I'd like to help with that," Jack said huskily behind her.

Carly turned to face her husband and found that he'd removed the carrot-stained shirt and was now bare-chested in only his jeans. Carly let her eyes roam over his chiseled chest as a sexy smile spread across her face.

"Most definitely later," she replied cocking an eyebrow.

Jack grinned back at her. "It's a date then," he said grabbing the shirt off the sofa. He slipped it on over his head.

"Come on sticky baby, let's get you clean," Carly said heading towards the stairs with Michael.

"Honey, I'm going to take off for the station," Jack said to her as he grabbed his wallet and keys off the desk.

"Alright, sounds good," she said turning around to give him a kiss before he left. "Will you be home in time for dinner?"

"I'm not sure. I have to get all my paperwork taken care of before I switch places tomorrow with Daryl," Jack explained. "Hopefully it won't take too long." "I'm going to miss you. Do you really have to be gone for three days?" Carly asked.

"We've been over this Carly and the answer has always been the same."

"I know but three days is a long time and it's not like I'm going to be able to call you," she said irritated.

"It's only for three days. At least it's not three weeks like Daryl," Jack countered.

"I know, I know. I feel so bad for Rosanna. She's been miserable without him," Carly said.

"Well then think of this as a sacrifice for your sister," Jack suggested.

"Fine… I just wish it wasn't an either or situation."

"Its three days and I'll be right here in Oakdale."

Carly nodded and accepted the situation despite not being thrilled about it.

"I'll see you tonight?" Jack said softly hinting at something more intimate.

"You bet you will G-Man," she smiled back giving him a soft kiss before he turned and headed out the door.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Carly was in the middle of doing a huge load of laundry when Sage walked into the laundry room carrying Michael.

"Mom, Lily's here," Sage announced.

"What honey?" Carly asked as she stood up holding the large load containing mostly baby clothes and towels.

"Lily's here," Sage repeated as Lily poked her head around the corner.

"Hey there," she smiled. "I'm sorry I didn't call before coming over. I hope that's alright."

"Of course," Carly smiled. "You don't need to call first Lily."

"Here let me help you with that," she offered as she grabbed a handful of clothes and towels.

"Where do you want them?"

"Follow me," Carly said walking out of the laundry room and down the hall to her bedroom. She tossed her half of the pile onto the bed. She then promptly took a seat and began folding.

"What brings you by?"

"Well," Lily began as she added her pile to Carly's and sat down next to Carly on the bed. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Sage, why don't you put Michael in the swing and then you can finish up your homework," Carly said to her daughter.

Sage walked to the other side of the room and placed Michael in the swing before heading downstairs to finish her school work.

"So… what's up?"

"I have a business proposition for you," Lily began tentatively as she picked up one of the towels and began to help Carly fold the clothes.

"A what?" Carly asked as she stopped what she was doing and looked intently at Lily.

"A business proposition. How would you feel about redesigning the Lakeview?"

Carly looked at Lily like she'd lost her mind as Lily sat there patiently waiting for her response.

"What on earth on you talking about?"

"Lisa and I met last week and we talked about fixing up the Lakeview. The furnishings and interior decorating are really outdated. We want the hotel to make a statement and we think you'd be perfect," Lily explained.

"Oh really… _We_ thought I'd be perfect? Lisa can't stand me Lily. You know that, I know that… the whole town knows that," Carly shook her head. "I know you could come up with something better than that," she laughed.

"Alright… I'll concede that Lisa doesn't know I'm talking to you about it," Lily told her. "But you'd be a perfect fit for this, I know it."

"Why? I've never decorated a hotel before. There have to be about a million other people who would be better for this job."

"You have amazing fashion sense. You are aware of all the trends and you lived there for a time so you would understand what our customers would want."

"It's been years since I lived there. Besides what makes you think I want to go back to work? Jack and I are in a really good place… Michael is still really little. He needs me here at home. I'm not ready to start thinking about my career right now," Carly said dismissing the idea.

"Oh come on Carly. I know you better than that. How happy are you going to be sitting here folding clothes for the next 5 years?"

Carly's expression changed from one of disbelief to hurt.

Lily felt immediate guilt at hurting her friend's feelings. "I can't believe you just said that," she said softly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that," she apologized.

"It's ok… I know why you said it."

"Maybe so, but it still doesn't make it ok. I honestly thought you'd like the idea. I figured it was a designing job here in Oakdale and that while the design aspect would be yours all the actual physical work would be done by others. I'm sorry… it was a bad idea. I didn't think it through," Lily admitted.

As Carly listened to Lily's explanation a tiny voice in the far corner of her mind began speaking as well. Perhaps the idea wasn't as ludicrous as it first sounded. Sure, Carly had never redecorated a hotel but hadn't she redesigned their house? She'd really enjoyed that creative process. This would be similar but on a much grander scale…

"Can you forgive me?" Lily said interrupting Carly's thoughts.

"Hmmmm?" Carly said not really hearing her.

"Am I forgiven?" Lily asked again.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Lily replied.

"What made you think of asking me? Be honest," Carly said.

"Honestly… I saw how much you enjoyed redesigning your house and you did such an amazing job that I thought this would be something to keep you busy."

"But I have my family… I have Jack… why would I need to keep busier than I already am?"

"Well… honestly… I thought it would be a way to make it up to you," Lily told her.

"Make what up to me?"

"The whole Carlisle Fragrance thing. I really made a mess of all that," Lily admitted.

"Lily, your mother messed up all of that. You didn't do anything."

"Well, it was me that agreed to let Craig be a silent partner," she said.

"True…" Carly agreed with her.

"Can you tell me you'll at least think about it?" Lily pleaded.

"I don't know Lily. Michael is still really young and he needs me. I just don't think right now is a good time for this. I'm flattered that you thought of me, though."

"Just think about. That's all I'm asking."

"Alright. I'll think about it but don't get your hopes up," she smiled.

"That's all I'm asking for," she smiled back. "Well, I should get going. Holden is going to bring the kids home pretty soon."

"How are things going between you two?" Carly asked.

"Slow. We've both been hurt by each other over the last couple of years. There's a lot of healing that still needs to be done."

"But have things progressed any? I mean it's obvious that you two still love each other."

"Of course we love each other. That's never changed. I just don't want to get back together and have things not work out… AGAIN."

"I completely understand."

"I'd like to move forward but there's something that has to happen first and I can't really say what it is. Does that make sense?"

"Perfect sense," Carly nodded.

"Well good because it doesn't make sense to me," Lily asked. "At least not yet." She stood up from the bed and grabbed her purse.

"Why don't you talk to Jack about my proposal so you guys can discuss it. If you're interested let me know… and you could put together a portfolio with some ideas."

"You're awfully confident," Carly laughed.

"Yes I am," Lily agreed as she gave her a hug before leaving.

_At the Oakdale Police Station…  
_

Margo walked over to Jack's desk, pushed some papers out of the way and sat down on the corner of it.

"So, are you about finished up with all this?" she said indicating to the large stack of papers that covered the surfaced of his desk.

"Just about. I need to call the DA's office and let them know that I won't be available for some of these cases if they need me in court for them in the next couple of days. Other than that… I'm all set to go. That is after I pick up this mess," he grinned. "Is there anything else you needed me to do before I leave?"

"Nope. Your casework was the main thing. Just be safe and keep your eyes open," Margo advised.

"I will. I don't think there will be much to worry about. Daryl's been there for three weeks and I haven't heard about any incidences."

"All the more reason to be on alert. This guy you're going to be watching holds a lot of damning information about a lot of people and those people don't want him talking," she pointed out.

"I can handle it, Margo. Trust me. I've done this in the past. I know what to look out for."

"Call me selfish but I just don't want something happening to my best detective."

"Well I'm flattered but don't let the rest of the guys hear you say that… they might riot," Jack laughed.

"You're probably right," Margo smiled. "Let's just keep that between us."

"Whatever you say Chief," Jack winked at her.

"Alright," Margo began as she stood up and patted Jack on the shoulder. "I'll let you finish up so you can get home to your family. Be safe," she directed him once more before heading back to her office. It was at then that Lily came walking into the station.

"Hi Jack," Lily smiled.

"Hey Lily. This is a surprise. What can I do for you?"

"Well I'm here to ask you a favor."

"Ok…" Jack said tentatively. "What kind of favor?"

"I stopped by to see Carly today," Lily began.

"And… is something wrong?" Jack asked worried.

"No, nothing's wrong," Lily assured him. "I came by to give her a business proposition."

"Lily," Jack sighed.

"Just listen to me for a moment Jack," Lily cut him off. "You know Carly… or at least you should by now," Lily teased him. "She needs more in her life besides you and the kids. What I'm proposing will be a perfect fit!" Lily beamed.

"So what do you want from me?"

"I want you to make sure she talks to you about it. Help her at least think it about it."

"Did she say she wasn't interested?"

"No, not exactly. I could tell that she was interested but she also doesn't want you thinking that she's in any way unsatisfied with her life the way it is right now."

"I know that," Jack said defensively.

"I know you do," Lily said. "Just get her to talk about it and then you guys can decide together."

"What exactly is this proposition of yours?" Jack asked.

"I'll let her fill you in on all the details," Lily said smiling. She leaned in and kissed his cheek. "I'll see you later Jack," she said leaving him to think about her words.

About an hour later, Jack walked through the door of his Milltown house. A cluster of different noises greeted him. The TV was on, Michael was crying, Sage was singing to him in an attempt to soothe him, the smoke alarm was blaring and Carly's voice could be heard coming from the kitchen where she was swearing loudly. Jack smiled at Sage and Michael as he hurried to the kitchen where he found his wife waving a towel at the smoke detector on the ceiling. Jack took a moment to glance around and spotted burnt garlic bread in the sink. He smiled as he reached up and detached the detector and removed a battery effectively silencing the alarm. Carly glanced at him and spotted the smile on his face.

"What are you smiling at?" she glared at him.

"Excuse me?" Jack questioned. "Is that any way to thank me for coming to your rescue," he grinned wider.

Carly ignored him as she walked over to the sink, picked up the burnt bread and tossed it in the trash.

"Are we having spaghetti?" Jack asked walking over to the stove and lifting a lid off one of the pots on the stove. The delicious aroma of the sauce filled his senses. "Smells good," he told her turning around to face her.

"Dinner is ruined," Carly said glumly.

"Nonsense, we don't need the bread," he said walking over to her and wrapping his arms around her waist pulling her against his hard chest. "What's really wrong?" he asked her.

"You're leaving tomorrow and I wanted dinner to be perfect," she said still irritated by the stupid bread incident.

"Being home with you and the kids is the most important thing. I don't care what we have for dinner… you should know that," he told her kissing the top of her head.

"Of course I know that," she admitted feeling the tension leave her as his hands rubbed her back. "But that's not the point."

"If you want, I can run down to the store and pick up some more bread," he offered.

At that moment, Parker and JJ wandered into the kitchen all covered in mud and carrying a football.

"What's for dinner?" JJ asked.

"Is something burning?" Parker asked looking around sniffing at the air.

Carly cursed under her breath and pushed herself away from Jack. She closed the cupboard door forcefully in response to Parker's question.

"I think that would be a yes," JJ said softly to Parker so his mother couldn't hear him.

"Alright boys, why don't you both head upstairs and get cleaned up before supper," Jack suggested.

The boys shuffled out the kitchen and headed upstairs as Sage entered the kitchen carrying Michael.

"I think Michael's hungry," she announced.

Carly and Jack turned and looked at their youngest child and saw him gnawing on his fist. He had a few tears from earlier glistening on his dark eyelashes.

"Sage, honey, thank you for helping out with him," Carly smiled at her. She took Michael from her daughter and kissed her head as she did so.

"Did that loud noise scare you?" Carly spoke to Michael. "Mommy is so sorry," she said sweetly to him. Michael rewarded her with a grin.

"Why don't you feed Michael and Sage and I will run to the store to get bread," Jack told her. "Come on Sage let's go."

Sage followed her dad out of the kitchen and out to the car.

A short half hour later, Michael was fed and in his bouncer playing happily while Carly finished setting the table. Jack and Sage arrived home. Sage ran upstairs to her room to put the magazine her dad bought for her on her bed while Jack headed into the kitchen with the bread and some flowers he bought for Carly. He walked up behind her placing the flowers in front of her.

"I come bearing gifts," he said into her ear.

"Oh Jack, they're beautiful!" Carly smiled as she set the salad bowl down and turned around to look at him. She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.

"I think you can do better than that," he said huskily.

"I suppose you do deserve a little extra something," she grinned. "After all you did save me from the smoke detector earlier."

"And I bought bread," Jack said brining his mouth lower so that his lips hovered just above hers.

"Yes that's true," she murmured as her lips grazed his ever so slightly.

"And you love me," he breathed just before his mouth descended on hers.

Carly moaned in response as Jack pushed her back toward the counter pinning her there. He puts his hands on her hips as his lips moved from her mouth trailing kisses down her slender neck to the spot. Carly leaned into him as her head fell back allowing him greater access.

"Is dinner ready?"

"I'm starving!"

"Ooops… sorry," mumbled Parker and JJ as they spotted their parents and pivoted on one foot and retreated from the kitchen.

A "Don't go in there," could be heard coming from one of the boys in which Sage responded, "Why not?"

"Well I guess that means playtime is over," Jack mumbled against her neck sending a shiver up Carly's back.

"Just postponed," Carly giggled.

"That sounds much better," he said giving her a playful smile.

Sage walked into the kitchen expecting to find something and found nothing.

"What were they talking about?" she asked her parents.

"I have no idea," Carly told her.

"Did you like the flowers Dad and I got for you?"

"Yes, they are beautiful. Thank you sweetie," Carly gave her daughter a smile. "Here, please take the salad and the bread to the table while I grab the milk," she said handing the bowl to Sage.

"I'll get the spaghetti and the sauce," Jack offered.

Later that night, after the baby was in bed and the older kids were in their rooms for the night, Carly wandered downstairs to find Jack sitting on the sofa. He had his feet up on the table and was lounging back watching television with an arm propped up behind his head. Carly sat down next to him and curled up against him laying her head in the crook of his arm.

"What are you watching?" Carly asked him.

"Nothing in particular. Just flipping channels mostly."

"So you won't mind if I snuggle here with you?" she said rubbing her cheek against his chest and draping an arm across him.

"Absolutely not," he smiled lowering his arm and wrapping it around her. Jack figured this would be the best time to bring up Lily's visit.

"Lily stopped by to see me today," he said casually.

Carly stopped all movement and sat up.

"She did?"

"Yup." Jack looked back at her. "Is that a problem?"

"I can't believe she went to you behind my back," Carly shook her head.

"All she did was stop by and ask that I talk to you about some proposition."

"Did she tell you about it?"

"No. She wanted you to tell me," Jack said. "Did you want to talk about it?"

"Not really. I told Lily that I wasn't really interested," Carly said getting up off the sofa. She began pacing.

"You know…," Jack began as he stood up too. "It's alright if you are interested. Why don't you tell me about it," he urged gently.

"I guess that Lily and Lisa want to renovate the Lakeview and they'd like me… or rather Lily would like me to redesign the place."

"And how do you feel about that?" Jack asked letting her drive the conversation.

"I'm not sure. I've never done something like that before."

"You redesigned our house and you did an amazing job, Carly."

"Yes but that's on a much smaller scale."

"True, but Lily thinks you'd be great and I think you'd be great…" "You want me working?" Carly asked surprised.

"I want you happy," Jack said tenderly. "And if that means you're working… then that's just fine by me. I know what this family means to you Carly. I don't doubt your devotion to us."

Carly absorbed Jack's words and her heart nearly burst. How had she gotten so lucky? She crossed the room in the space of a heartbeat and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"Do you know how much I love you?" Carly asked him looking up into his handsome face, unshed tears filled her eyes.

"As much as I love you," Jack answered smiling down at her. He reached up and brushed the tears away. "If you want to do this, then go for it."

"There's only one small problem," Carly said.

"What's that?"

"Convincing Lisa…" she said.

"Once you show her your designs she'll be begging you to work for her," Jack told her.

Carly laughed. "Yeah, that's not going to happen. Lisa can't stand me, you know that."

"Well, you've got Lily on your side. She'll get Lisa to come around."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Carly said skeptically.

"Well, I say… enough talk. We've got more important things to do," Jack said changing the subject.

"Oh we do, do we?" Carly said breathlessly as Jack's hands fumbled with the buttons of her shirt.

"Mmmm Hmmmm." Jack's lips found Carly's neck. She wound her fingers into his hair.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Carly said seductively as Jack picked her up and carried her upstairs to bed…


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Jack towel dried his hair as he stepped out of the bathroom. He was still shirtless having just gotten out of the shower and had just his jeans on. The room was still fairly dark as he walked quietly over to the closet to pull out a dress shirt. He spied the reflection of Carly lying in bed in the mirror on the wall. He stopped and turned to gaze at her. She was lying on her stomach with an arm tucked up and under her pillow. Her golden curls fell haphazardly on her creamy skin. The sheets were wrapped about her exposing one calf and nearly all of her bare back. His basic instinct was to join her in bed once again where they'd spent hours tasting and touching each other. His fingers ached to hold her as he remembered every moment of their encounter. Almost as if on cue, Carly shifted slightly in the bed as if she could feel the heat from his eyes on her. She turned slightly onto her side and exposed the side of one of her firm round breasts. Jack swallowed instinctively as his breathing became more and more erratic. He licked his lips and forgot the shirt completely.

Jack walked over to the foot of the bed and climbed up slowly over her. His lips found the small of her back and made their way slowly and seductively up her spine toward her shoulders. Carly stretched at the sensation as she slowly woke up to the feel of Jack's lips and tongue against her skin. His breath was warm and the mixture of his warm skin and his body wash mixed together and filled her senses with a familiar scent. She smiled as he found his way to the crook of her neck where he nuzzled against her. He lay down next to her and wrapped one leg over her body and pulled her close.

"Good morning," he said huskily kissing her arm.

"It most definitely is," she smiled back still a little sleepy. "A girl could get used to this."

"Used to what?"

"Getting woken up with kisses from her sexy husband."

Jack grinned. "Well when you're lying here naked in our bed, you're kind of hard to resist," he replied before he began nuzzling her neck again.

"I don't want you to go," she complained wrapping her arms around him and holding him. She was, of course, referring to the FBI assignment.

"I know, I don't want to go either but it'll only be for a couple of days. You won't even have time to miss me," he teased.

"Are you kidding? After last night and this wonderful wake up this morning," she said snuggling against him, "It'll be impossible not to miss you," she pouted.

Jack laughed. "I'm serious Carly. You'll be so busy redesigning the Lakeview you won't even know I'm gone."

"That's _if_ Lisa will go along with it," she reminded him, a hint of a frown on her brow.

"Lisa will be blown away by your ideas," he said trying to lift her spirits.

"Your biased," she teased as she tilted her head back. In the process she exposed the swell of her breasts and Jack moved his head lower. He grabbed her waist and pulled her close causing her body to naturally arch against his. Carly's fingers wound their way to the back of his neck and she could still feel the dampness from his shower. Suddenly Michael's voice could be heard crying out from the baby monitor on the nightstand.

Jack groaned and lifted his head to look into her blue eyes. "Why does that always seem to happen?"

"I have no idea," Carly sighed.

"Here, let me get him for you," Jack offered getting up. "You're not dressed," his voice low and sexy as he gave her a look that made her knees week even though she was still lying in bed.

Carly grinned as she watched him walk out of the room. He was still shirtless and the sight of him in just his jeans made her regret even more that he wouldn't be home for a couple of days. God he looked great in jeans she thought to herself.

Carly hopped out of bed and crossed the room to the dresser to get herself a shirt to wear but stopped short at the closet doorway. Seeing the row of Jack's shirts hanging neatly inside changed her mind. She grabbed one of his and threw it on, smiling as she did so. Even though it was freshly cleaned and pressed it still smelled like him. She buttoned the bottom few buttons and climbed back up into bed and waited for Jack to bring Michael in.

A little while later, Jack carried in their youngest child. He was singing and making funny faces to which Michael smiled and cooed at his father.

"Someone had a wet diaper," Jack said more to Michael than to Carly. He looked up and stopped mid step when he noticed Carly's attire.

"What are you wearing?" his voice was low. His warm brown eyes were dark with desire at the sight of his wife wearing one of his shirts. She knew how he felt about that. It was almost a primal reaction. Like somehow by her wearing his shirt he was marking his territory and claiming her as his own.

"Just one of your shirts," she replied nonchalantly trying to play innocent. "It was just hanging there in the closet."

"I was going to wear that today," he said slowly.

"You still can. I'll give it back to you," she smiled seductively.

Jack raised an eyebrow and slowly shook his head as he walked over and handed Michael to her.

"You're not playing fair," he told her.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she teased. She smiled at Michael and held him in her arms as she pulled one side of the shirt back and began to nurse him. Michael latched on hungrily and suckled. Jack watched the bonding moment and smiled. He'd never met someone more naturally suited to being a mother than Carly. He leaned down and kissed her cheek before heading into the bathroom to finish getting ready.

About twenty minutes later, Jack emerged from the bathroom with a small bag filled with his personal items. He grabbed a suitcase from the closed and began to pack up a couple of day's worth of clothes. Carly sat on the bed with Michael lying next to her. He had a rattle toy in one of his hands and his legs and arms were moving up and down and he responded to his mother's voice. Carly looked up at her husband as he walked over to the bed.

"I suppose you'd like your shirt now," she said batting her eyes at him. She got up off the bed and stood and faced him. She slowly unfastened one of the buttons.

Jack's eyes focused intently on her hands, hypnotized by their movement.

"What are you trying to do to me?" Jack half pleaded. He could feel his heart begin to beat faster as his body hardened in anticipation.

"You know I like wearing your shirts." She slowly unbuttoned the second button so that only one remained.

Jack didn't move a muscle. His lips parted as he breathed faster, his eyes never wavering.

"They smell just like you," she said softly. Her own heart beat faster as she unbuttoned the last one.

Jack looked up at her face. His eyes bore into hers with an intensity that nearly sent her over the edge with desire.

Carly slowly pulled the shirt back and let it slip off the back of her shoulders exposing her completely. Jack drank her in with a hunger - she was intoxicating. Jack closed the distance between them in the space of a heartbeat and their lips collided as his hands grabbed her waist. He pulled her firmly to his chest and let his fingertips play against her skin. Her breasts pressed against his hard chest. Her nipples hardened at the sensation and wreaked havoc on his mind. He pushed his shirt off her arms and it pooled on the floor. Carly raked her nails up his back and Jack growled in response.

"Mom!" yelled Sage from down the hall.

Jack and Carly's lips broke apart and they froze, panting and staring at each other.

"Mom… I can't find my new jeans," came Sage's voice again. This time it was closer than the last which indicated she was heading for their room. Carly darted away from Jack, still naked and ran toward the bathroom.

"Watch Michael," she said urgently as she shut the bathroom door.

Jack nodded and sat down on the bed, disappointed once again at the interruption. Michael lay contently on the bed still playing with the rattle. Jack leaned down and kissed his tummy gently eliciting a tiny laugh from the dark haired little boy.

Sage knocked once before opening the door.

"Oh hi Dad," she smiled at him.

"Morning sweetheart," he smiled back.

"Good morning Michael," Sage said in a typical sing-song voice always used when speaking to a baby. "Where's mom?" she asked sitting down next to her Dad and brother.

"Here I am," Carly smiled walking out of the bathroom as she tied her robe around her waist. She glanced at Jack and he just grinned back at her.

"I can't find my new jeans," Sage complained.

"I washed and folded them yesterday. They were on your bed," Carly told her.

"Oh…," Sage said suddenly remembering the pile of clothes that had tumbled off the other side of her bed to the floor the night before. She jumped up off the bed and dashed out of the room. "Thanks Mom," she called out as she darted down the hall.

"Your welcome," Carly called back.

"Every single time," Jack said shaking his head. "I'm putting a lock on our door," he said half seriously.

"What's that going to do? We still have this little one that despite not being able to open a door can still cause an interruption," she cooed down at Michael as she climbed back onto the bed next to him.

"Well then I'll have to come up with some way to get you all alone to myself."

"I like the sound of that," Carly smiled up at him.

"Me too," Jack smiled back. He stood up and picked up his shirt off the floor and slipped his arms through the sleeves.

"I should probably get going," he said walking around to the foot of the bed. "I have to stop at the station before I meet up with Daryl." He finished buttoning his shirt and tucked it into his jeans.

Carly picked up Michael and walked over to Jack.

"We're all going to miss you," she told him.

"I'll be home in three days," he said softly reaching out and brushing her cheek with his thumb.

"Be safe G-Man" she said in a voice she reserved for only those times when she called him by that name.

"I will… I promise," he said leaning down and kissing her softly. Their eyes exchanged an unspoken message before Jack leaned down and kissed the top of Michael's head.

"Be a good boy for Mommy," he told him.

"He will be," Carly smiled.

Jack picked up his suitcase and headed for the door. "I love you," he told her with a smile.

"I love you too," Carly smiled back.

Several hours later after Jack stopped by the station, he found himself meandering up the walkway to the hideaway house the FBI had procured for the case. Originally the plan had been to hide them out in a room at the Lakeview but then the plans had been changed. Instead the FBI had gotten a hold of a fairly large farmhouse on the far outskirts of Oakdale.

Jack looked up at the house as he walked up the walkway. It was a large two story farmhouse with a huge wrap around porch. The house sat on a hill surrounded by acres of open fields which allowed the inhabitants to see anyone coming from miles around. There was a lone oak tree in the front yard which had a tire swing attached to it which indicated that at one time a child or two lived in the house. As Jack reached the steps the front door opened and Daryl stepped outside to greet his friend, a smile on his face.

"Hey Jack!" he said happily. "Long time no see."

"Yeah, how are you doing?" Jack smiled in return reaching forward and shaking his hand.

"Pretty good. It's been uneventful... which is a good thing in this kind of situation as you know," he grinned.

"Yes. Uneventful is a good thing. So… is there anything I should know before taking over?" Jack asked.

"It's funny you should ask that," Daryl began hesitantly. He opened his mouth to explain but was cut off by a loud shriek coming from the doorway behind him.

"Oh my God! I can't believe it… Jack Snyder is that really you?" came a woman's voice.

Daryl let out a sigh and closed his eyes as he stepped aside to give Jack a full view of the woman.

Standing in the doorway was a woman who looked to be in her late 30's maybe early 40's. She had strawberry blond hair pulled up and piled on top of her head. She was tall and slender and wore a pair of slacks with a dress shirt tucked in. She bounded down the steps and threw herself at Jack wrapping her arms around his neck. Jack gave Daryl a look of confusion.

"I can't believe how long it's been," she exclaimed. She gave him a quick squeeze before pulling back to look at him in the face.

"You remember Tracy Cooper… or rather Tracy Davidson now," Daryl corrected himself using her married name.

Realization dawned on Jack. He hadn't seen Tracy since he was with the FBI. He had gone out on a date or two with her way back when but then work had interfered and the relationship, if you could call it that, had gone no where. He'd taken off for an assignment and came back several months later to find that Daryl had started dating her while he'd been gone. It hadn't really bothered Jack in the least that Daryl was dating her. However, he could tell at times that Tracy had hoped it did bother him because she continued to flirt with him, even at times in front of Daryl. Their relationship hadn't lasted too long after Jack's return because Jack and Daryl were then both put on assignment. Daryl's sent him overseas, while Jack was sent after James Stenbeck…

"Tracy and her husband, Phillip, are the assignment," Daryl said incredulously, as if he still couldn't believe the coincidence.

"How have you been Jack?" Tracy smiled at him.

"Tracy… uhmm, I'm good. It's been a long time," Jack smiled awkwardly at her and stepped back trying to create space between them.

"How many years has it been? You look fantastic!" she grinned.

"Boy," Jack sighed. "I'm not sure," he replied. He glanced over her shoulder at Daryl looking for help.

"Can you excuse us Tracy? Jack and I need to finish discussing some details before I leave," Daryl said kindly to her.

"Oh of course. I'm sorry. I don't want to get in the way. Besides, Jack and I will have plenty of time to catch up," she said rubbing his arm before turning and heading back into the house.

Once the door was shut turned on Daryl.

"You could have warned of me."

"I was trying to but she saw that you had arrived before I had a chance," Daryl said by way of an apology.

"Don't you think this is a little bit of a problem?" Jack asked him.

"How so?" asked Daryl confused.

"Well, how about the fact that you used to date her?"

"You did too," Daryl chimed in.

"I'd hardly call two dates dating," Jack glared at him.

"Well that's not how she'd put it," Daryl said under his breath.

"That's exactly my point. Don't you think that there should be other agents assigned to this case?"

"It was a long time ago Jack."

"That's not the point," he sighed.

"Look, this is the last case and then I'm done with the Bureau," Daryl rationalized.

"So, you're telling me that no one knows that you had a personal relationship with Tracy Davidson?"

"No," Daryl admitted.

Jack just shook his head and walked around trying to figure out what to do.

"It's not going to be a problem Jack. Trust me," Daryl told him.

In the back of his mind Jack could hear a little voice warning him that that wasn't necessarily going to be the case.

"Jack, please just stay here for the three days and then I'll stay for the rest. You won't have to come back again," Daryl promised.

They had agreed that Daryl would watch the Davidson's for a majority of the time but that Jack would give him a couple of breaks during that stint. However, if Daryl was now agreeing to stay the reminder of the time that would allow Jack to stay home with his kids and with Carly.

"I still think you should have mentioned something about knowing her," Jack said indicating to Tracy in the house. "Be that as it may, I'll stay and watch them for you if you'll for sure take care of them the rest of the time."

"You got it," Daryl assured him and stuck out his hand.

Jack shook it reluctantly.

_Meanwhile back in Oakdale…_

Carly sat on the sofa downstairs after having gotten JJ and Sage off to school and Michael back down for a nap. She'd showered and dressed and was beginning to create some design ideas for her portfolio. She'd called Lily earlier and told her that she would agree to meet up with Lisa and Mr. Gregson the next afternoon. Lily was thrilled. Carly wasn't so sure how this was going to play out. She knew how much Lisa disliked her and so decided to go in with a "who cares" attitude. There was no sense on getting your hopes up only to have them dashed in the end.

The phone rang and Carly jumped up to answer it so that it wouldn't wake up Michael. She reached it by the second ring.

"Hello," she answered.

"How's my favorite Cuz?" came an all too familiar voice.

"Molly! It's so good to hear from you," Carly smiled into the phone. "I miss you!"

"I miss you too," Molly replied. Carly could hear the tears in her voice. "Which is why I've decided to come and visit."

"Really? You're coming to Oakdale… when?"

"I was thinking next week… if that's ok. I mean, I don't have to stay at the house or anything. I know you've got your hands full with the kids and the new baby… and Jack. I was going to plan on staying at the Lakeview."

"Nonsense, there's plenty of room here. You can stay with us. I know the kids will be just as thrilled to see you as I will."

"I can't wait to see Michael… I'm sure he's so big by now," Molly said softly. "I'm sorry I haven't visited before now. You're not mad are you?"

"Of course not. Hey… are you ok? You sound like something's bothering you," Carly asked concerned.

"No, I'm fine. I just think I need to be around family that's all," she replied vaguely. "So you're sure it's ok that I come?"

"Absolutely! I can't wait to see you, Cuz."

"Great. Then I'll see you next week," Molly said happily. "Love you."

"Love you too," Carly replied as she hung up the phone.

She sat back down on the sofa prepared to get back to her designs but something about that phone call didn't seem right. Something was going on with Molly. Carly vowed to herself that one way or another she would get to the bottom of it…


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Jack followed Daryl around to the back of the house. Despite Daryl's assurance that everything was fine, Jack wasn't so sure.

"I don't know Daryl… I still don't like this. The fact that we both know Tracy could be an issue," Jack said as he stared out over the field to the grouping of trees off in the distance.

"Jack," Daryl sighed, "It's not going to make any sort of difference either way." Daryl knew Jack was going to have an issue as soon as he'd discovered that the wife of the man they were guarding was someone they knew.

"Alright fine. I'll drop it," he agreed reluctantly. "So is there anything I need to know about the layout of this place," Jack asked gesturing around as he did so. As Daryl spoke, Jack was still distracted by the unbelievable coincidence that the couple, or more specifically, the wife of the man he and Daryl were to keep an eye on was someone from their past. Jack was still unsure about keeping silent on that particular fact but agreed to for Daryl's sake.

"So like I said, it's been pretty uneventful. Nothing suspicious and nothing out of the ordinary. You shouldn't have any problems," Daryl assured him once again.

"Ok… sounds good," Jack said distractedly.

"Oh! I almost forgot to mention the good news. It looks like the trial has been moved up. It starts next week," Daryl informed him. "So when I relieve you on Thursday I'll only have to watch them until Monday and then the other FBI agents will take it from there."

"That is good news," Jack smiled at him. "I'm sure Rosanna will be happy to hear that."

"Speaking of," Daryl began, "If you don't have any other questions, I'm gonna go and get my things and take off."

"No, there's nothing I can think of."

"Good. I'll introduce you to Phillip Davidson before I leave," Daryl said.

"Does he know you used to date his wife?" Jack asked him.

"No… and I don't think he'd care to be honest. Phillip and Tracy don't seem to be real close."

"What do you mean?"

"They have separate bedrooms and they barely speak to each other," Daryl said nonchalantly as he walked up the steps to the farmhouse. Jack just sighed as he followed him inside.

Jack stopped once he was inside the front door and took a look around. It was nice and warm inside and it reminded him of his Aunt Emma's farm. He peered into the living room and saw Tracy sitting on the sofa reading a magazine. Phillip was nowhere to be seen.

"Why don't you take your stuff upstairs to one of the rooms and I'll find Phillip," Daryl suggested.

"Which room is available?" Jack asked glancing up the staircase.

"When you get to the top head to the left… there are two rooms down that hallway and both are available."

"Thanks," Jack said turning and heading up the stairs. Once at the top he made his way to the far end of the hall. The room was nice sized and had a double bed against one wall that faced a huge window that looked out over the pasture in the back of the house. There was a desk in the corner near the bed that had a window that faced the front of the house. Jack felt that this would be a perfect room that gave him a view of both the front and back of the house. He set his suitcase on the bed and looked out the front window and sighed. The house was set up on the hills outside of Oakdale. Over the tops of the trees Jack could see the city down below. Far across on the other side of town sat Milltown and his family. The next three days were going to be long he thought to himself.

_Across town…_

Carly and Lily sat down on the sofa, a cup of tea in hand.

"Thanks for stopping by Lily," Carly said.

"Of course," Lily said excitedly. "I'm so happy that you decided to submit a portfolio. I'm positive that Lisa and Mr. Gregson will be blown away by your ideas."

"Tell me about this Mr. Gregson," Carly said to her as she took a sip of her tea.

"There's not much to tell really."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't really know too much about him. Lisa found him. Apparently he comes highly recommended."

"Hmmmm, I don't recognize the name from the fashion industry," Carly said.

"I think he's more of a business consultant. He's got great taste in clothes… the suit he wore was very high end. And, he's easy on the eyes," Lily added as an after thought.

"What?" Carly asked turning to look at her friend causing Lily to blush slightly.

"He's fairly attractive," Lily said as casually as she could.

"I just assumed he was older."

"Well he's not."

"Apparently. And _apparently_ he's good looking," Carly said casting a sideways glance at her friend.

"Don't look at me like that," Lily said defensively.

"Like what?" Carly said teasing.

"All I said is that he's nice looking."

"You said he was easy on the eyes and then you blushed afterwards," Carly laughed.

"Yes… well… because it sounded weird. I don't know why I mentioned it," Lily admitted.

"Maybe because you find this Mr. Gregson attractive. There's nothing wrong with that," Carly said taking another sip of her tea.

Lily sat there quietly and thought about it.

"I mean you're human. It's only natural if you see someone who's attractive that you appreciate that fact. It doesn't mean anything," Carly said gently.

Lily continued to sit there in silence.

"Unless it does mean something?" Carly added tentatively.

Lily looked up at Carly. "No. No. It's nothing like that. He's good looking and all but I am definitely not interested in anything more than a business relationship."

"Alright," Carly said letting the subject go.

"So," said Lily getting back to the reason for her visit, "When do you think you'll be ready to meet with Lisa and Mr. Gregson?"

"I've done a few minor sketches this morning and I feel good about those. I suppose I could have something ready to show you by Friday," Carly said taking her time to think about it.

"That's great! I'll call Lisa today and let her know to set up a meeting. What time would you like to meet on Friday?"

"How about in the afternoon. I'll check with Rosanna to see if she can watch Michael or maybe I'll take him over to Emma's," Carly suggested.

"Alright, sounds good. I'll get that set up today then and call you with a specific time."

"Thanks a lot Lily for this opportunity. I really appreciate it," Carly said sincerely.

"You're welcome. Believe me, I wouldn't have suggested it if I didn't feel that you'd be perfect for the job," she told her.

"Well thank you."

"So how are you doing now that Jack's off on assignment?" she asked changing the subject.

"I'm alright. I really didn't want him to go but at least it's only for a couple of days. Hopefully they'll go by fast," Carly said rolling her eyes.

"If you need anything… even if it's just adult company, call me."

"Thanks. I just need to keep reminding myself that Rosanna is getting to spend this time with Daryl, so that way I don't dwell on the fact that Jack's not here. There's some comfort in that. Daryl's been gone nearly a month. I wouldn't have been as understanding as Rosanna if the roles were reversed."

"Have you talked to her?"

"I spoke with her yesterday. She tried not to show it but I could tell she was counting the minutes until she saw him," Carly smiled.

"I'm happy for them. Daryl seems like a really nice guy," Lily said genuinely.

"He is. I'm thrilled that Rosanna found someone like him and finally moved on from Craig."

"Speaking of… has he tried to plead his case to Rosanna again?"

"Not that I'm aware of. I thought for sure he would have tried something while Daryl was gone but Rosanna hasn't said anything. Although, she knows how I feel about him so she might keep quiet about that," Carly mumbled the last part more to herself than Lily.

"However, with how well their relationship is going I honestly don't think anything Craig said or did would make a difference. In fact, Rosanna told me that Daryl had asked her to move in with him if everything went smoothly on his offer for his new place."

"That's fantastic," Lily replied.

"I agree. Rosanna deserves someone who loves her completely and will be there for her not just what they can get from her."

"You don't think Craig ever really loved her? I don't know, Carly. I saw the two of them together over the years. I think Craig truly loved her. It's just that sometimes he looses focus on what's important," Lily said defending him.

Carly just rolled her eyes and stood up from the sofa.

"Oh Lily, when will you ever learn?" she asked as she grabbed her cup and headed into the kitchen.

"I just don't think he's as horrible as everyone thinks he is," she said getting up and following Carly into the kitchen.

"You've got blinders on when it comes to him."

"You don't think you're being a tad harsh?" Lily asked her.

"No, trust me. And this is coming from someone who used to always give him the benefit of the doubt like you do," Carly said matter-of-factly.

"Alright. Let's just agree to disagree on the subject of Craig," Lily conceded.

"Fine by me," Carly agreed placing her cup in the dishwasher. Lily handed hers to Carly and she put that in the dishwasher too.

"I should probably get going. Ethan and Natalie are going to be getting home from school soon," she said heading back into the living room to retrieve her coat and purse.

"I'll get the meeting set up for Friday and I'll give you a call to confirm the time. If everything goes smoothly and Lisa agrees to have you work for us then I'll set up an office for you at WorldWide for you to work at."

"That would be fantastic, thank you."

"Alright, well have a good night and I'll talk to you tomorrow," Lily smiled as she headed out the door.

"You too," Carly smiled back. She closed the door and leaned against it. Despite her misgivings, Carly was very excited about this design opportunity. A small cry from upstairs indicated that Michael was waking up from his nap.

"Mommy's coming," she called up the stairs. Perhaps Jack had been right. Maybe these few days wouldn't be as lonely as she'd originally thought now that she had all these ideas swirling around in her mind. Still she hoped they'd go by fast…

_Back at the farmhouse…_

Jack made his way back downstairs hoping to find Daryl and this Phillip Davidson but all he found was Tracy in the kitchen making herself a cup of coffee.

"Hey Jack," she smiled. "Can I get you a cup?"

"Sure," Jack said smiling politely back. "Have you seen Daryl and your husband?"

"They stepped out onto the back porch," she told him as she handed him a cup of coffee. "Follow me."

Jack followed Tracy through the kitchen to the dinning room where a large double door opened up onto the back porch. Tracy opened the door for Jack and stepped aside to let him walk past her. As he did so, she moved so that she brushed herself against him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she said softly smiling up at him trying to play innocent. She placed her hand in the small of his back affectionately but discreetly.

"Excuse me," Jack said awkwardly as he hurried out the door to create space between himself and Tracy.

"There you are Jack," Daryl said turning around when he heard the back door open. He saw Jack walking toward him with Tracy not far behind.

"Mr. Davidson… I'd like for you to meet Detective Jack Snyder. He'll be guarding you and your wife for the next couple of days. He was my partner at the Bureau several years ago and I trust him with my life. You're in very capable hands," Daryl said to Phillip.

"You can say that again," Tracy said under her breath so that only Jack could hear.

Jack shifted uncomfortably at Tracy's words and cleared his throat trying to ignore her.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Davidson," Jack said holding out his hand to shake his.

"Yes, likewise," Phillip replied. "So you're a Detective now?"

"That's right," Jack smiled.

"What made you decide to leave the FBI?"

"Well, I decided I wanted more than just a career," Jack said vaguely. He didn't really feel comfortable discussing his personal life with someone he'd just met.

"But enough about me. Why don't I walk you out to the car so you can get going," Jack said turning to Daryl and effectively ending the conversation with Phillip.

Daryl looked at Jack and was a bit confused by the curtness in his voice. Jack wasn't usually so abrupt with people.

"Alright. Mr. and Mrs. Davidson, I will see you in a few days," he smiled to each of them before heading back inside to collect a bag that he'd pack for his excursion away. A few moments later he and Jack were making their way out the front door and down the steps to the car.

"What was all that?" Daryl asked Jack once they were out of the house.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked.

"Your attitude… You were kind of short with Phillip back there."

"I just don't feel comfortable answering questions about me. That's not why I'm here. I'm here to do a job - that's it."

"Alright. I understand that but you normally don't react like that. Are you sure there's nothing else?"

Jack thought back to Tracy's actions and her words. He wanted to tell Daryl but wasn't sure how he would react.

"I'm just getting weird vibes from Tracy that's all," Jack admitted.

"Oh that. Yeah, I could tell how excited she was to see you here. I'm sure it'll be fine once the excitement of it wears off," Daryl said assuredly.

_I'm not so sure_, Jack thought to himself.

"Well, have a good time and don't worry, the next few days will go by quickly," Daryl smiled.

"For you maybe… me… I'm not so sure," Jack said shaking his head.

Jack watched as Daryl got into the car and drove off down the long drive leading up to the house. He watched until the car was out of sight before turning and heading back to the house. His head was down and so he didn't notice Tracy until he was up the stairs and practically right outside the door.

"Jack," she smiled softly at him. "I can't get over how good it is to see you," she said looking him up and down.

Jack looked past her looking for her husband.

"Don't worry about Phillip," she said nonchalantly. "He mostly stays in his room unless he's eating. Here… let me take your coat," she said reaching out to him.

"I can handle it," Jack said uncomfortably as he took his coat off. "I'll just take it upstairs to my room," he told her when she held out her hand for it.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" she said not so subtly.

"No, I'm good," Jack replied awkwardly. "I'm going to take a walk around the perimeter and just make sure everything's ok."

"Well, let me know if you need anything," Tracy smiled. Jack merely nodded and walked toward the kitchen and the backdoor.

She watched him leave until he disappeared around the corner. She couldn't believe her luck! First Daryl and now Jack. She smiled. Jack had always been a sore spot for her. She never had understood what had happened. They'd gone out a couple of times and from what she could tell they'd had a good time but then he left on assignment and that was pretty much it. She'd always wondered what could've been when it came to Jack Snyder. Now, fate had put him back in her life. Maybe the "what if" question could finally be answered. She grinned. She would definitely make sure Jack knew that she was more than ready to see where their future could go. After all, once this stupid trial was done so too would her marriage. Phillip had never been the love of her life. He'd been fun and he was rich but over the years the fun had stopped and the marriage had become more of a business than a relationship. She wanted more out of life and she was sure that this amazing stroke of luck was a sign of things to come. She'd lost Jack Snyder once; she wouldn't do it again…

_Over at the Lakeview…_

Rosanna checked her appearance in the mirror for what seemed the millionth time. She was very anxious for Daryl's arrival. He'd been gone for a little over two weeks on assignment and she was convinced it had been the longest two weeks of her life. She took a deep breath and held it for a moment before slowly exhaling in an attempt to calm her anxious nerves. She turned to check the back of her hair for the third time and made sure her lipstick looked neat and even.

A few moments later she'd heard the sound she'd been dying to hear - a knock on her door. She hurried over to the door and paused a moment to once again take a calming breath.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you," she beamed as she opened the door.

"I can see you're as happy as I am to see you."

Rosanna stop short and the smile turned frozen as she stared into the face of Craig Montgomery.

"What a great welcome. You look fantastic by the way," Craig added as he looked her up and down.

"Craig… I wasn't expecting you," Rosanna said softly.

"No matter," Craig said pushing past her into her room. "I came by to see if you'd like to go with Johnny and me to Old Town. They're having a Fall Festival and we'd really like it if you would come."

"I'm sorry but I have plans tonight," Rosanna said. "And honestly Craig, you could have called."

"I know, but it's just as easy to ask you in person. Besides, the Festival isn't tonight - it's this weekend. So, will you come?"

"I don't know Craig. I don't want to confuse things with Johnny," Rosanna began.

"It's just a festival, Rosanna. I'm not asking you to move in with me," Craig explained. "However, I wouldn't be opposed to that idea either," he teased her.

"Craig…" Rosanna sighed.

"In all seriousness, just think about coming with Johnny and me. You'll have a good time."

"Alright I'll think about it," Rosanna conceded. "Now, you need to leave because I have plans," she said walking toward the door.

"And let me guess… the irritatingly smug and perfect Mr. Sullivan," Craig said snidely.

"Don't start Craig… especially if you want me to go with you this weekend," Rosanna warned him.

"I just don't understand what you're doing with him. He's not right for you, Rosanna," he said as he followed her reluctantly to the door.

"We're not going to have this conversation again," Rosanna told him.

"Because you know I'm right," Craig replied not able to resist getting in another dig on Daryl.

"Good night Craig," she said ignoring him as she opened the door.

"Good night," he said as he leaned down to kiss her cheek. Rosanna rolled her eyes upward toward him shaking her head slightly.

"Why can't you behave?"

"Where's the fun in that?" he asked huskily his mouth just inches from hers, a grin on his face.

She laughed and pushed him away playfully.

Craig smiled down at her and turned and nearly ran into Daryl who'd been watching the interaction.

"Oh…" Craig said startled but then the wheels in his head began turning. "So sorry, we didn't know anyone was there," he added quickly hoping to imply something more was going on than really was.

"Daryl!" Rosanna exclaimed. "I'm so happy to see you," she smiled radiantly at him.

"So what do you kids have planned for the night?" Craig asked making no attempt to leave.

"It seems like it's been forever," she said to Daryl reaching for his hand and pulling him towards her.

"I myself was thinking of heading down to the lounge to have some dinner… did you guys want to join me?" Craig asked.

"I'm not sure," Daryl said looking at Rosanna. "I didn't mean to interrupt anything."

"You're not," Rosanna said giving him a pleading look to be patient and understand the situation was not what it looked like.

"Well actually…" Craig began but Rosanna cut him off.

"_Actually_, Craig is just leaving. Good night Craig. Thanks for stopping by," she told him and pulled Daryl into her room and closed the door quickly.

Rosanna took a deep breath to clear her mind before turning around to face Daryl. "I'm sorry about that," she said to him as she turned toward him.

In that instant Daryl closed the gap between them and pushed her up against the door his lips descending upon hers. His hands found her hips and pulled her hard against him. Her mouth opened to his and his tongue entwined with hers. He was hungry for her.

Rosanna wrapped her arms around him pulling him closer. She kissed him back fervently. She'd missed him - missed this. All thoughts of anything else completely faded from her mind. All she wanted was him.

Daryl's lips broke apart from her so he could come up for air but his hands never left her body. They caressed and roamed all over. His breath was uneven as he pulled back to look at her beautiful face.

"I missed you," he said huskily.

She swallowed; her breathing was just as uneven as his. "I missed you too," she said breathlessly.

"You look great," he told her as his eyes swept down from her face over the dress she was wearing. The square neckline accentuated her breasts and Daryl found them very distracting. "But," he continued, "Right now… you're wearing too much clothing." His hands immediately found the zipper at her neck and he quickly pulled it down. Rosanna gave a little shake of her shoulders and the dress neatly fell from them as she slid out of it.

"God you're amazing," he breathed.

Rosanna smiled radiantly at him. With him looking at her with those eyes, she truly felt like the most beautiful woman in the world.

"I've never wanted someone as much as I want you right now," he told her. His eyes bore into hers, intense and hungry.

"Then show me," she challenged him. As she walked toward the bedroom door she reached behind her and unhooked the clasp of her bra. She slipped it off and dangled it loosely from one of her fingers before letting it fall to the floor.

Daryl grinned wickedly and followed…


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Jack sat at one of the barstools at the kitchen counter, slowly drinking his cup of coffee and reading the paper. Tracy walked in and began to rummage through the refrigerator.

"So what sounds good for dinner Jack?" she asked looking back at him.

Puzzled by the question, Jack looked up from his paper at Tracy.

"What?"

"What would you like for dinner?" she asked again before sticking her head back in for a look. "I can make chicken parmesan or maybe meatloaf…" she rambled.

"You don't have to cook dinner for me."

"Well I'm going to cook something for Phillip and me so I thought I'd ask you what you'd prefer," she said kindly.

"I'll just make myself a sandwich or something," Jack told her.

Tracy laughed.

"Oh come on Jack… relax. Daryl sat down to eat with us all the time. Besides, it's the least I can do since you're watching out for us."

Jack smiled. Perhaps he was taking things too seriously.

"Alright… chicken parmesan sounds great."

"Well then chicken parmesan it is," she smiled back.

Jack drained the rest of his coffee in his cup and got up off the barstool to put it in the sink but Tracy intercepted him.

"Here let me take that," she said holding out her hand for the mug.

"Thanks."

"Anytime," she smiled.

Jack grabbed his paper and folded it back up.

"I'm going to take a walk around and make sure everything's alright in case you or Phillip need anything," he said.

"I'll let you know when dinner's ready."

"Ok," Jack said head out towards the backdoor.

_Across town…_

Lisa sat at her desk when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," she called from her chair.

"Good afternoon Lisa," Kyle Gregson said as he walked into her office. "How are you?" he asked politely.

"Oh… can't complain. Let me finish up this paperwork and then we can get down to business," she said. "Can I get you anything while you wait?"

"No, nothing for me, thank you."

After a few moments, Lisa filed the paperwork away and looked at Mr. Gregson.

"So, I heard back from Lily. Apparently, the designer she had in mind would be available to meet with us Friday afternoon. How does your schedule look?"

"My afternoon is open."

"Well then, I'll give her a call and let her know we can meet with this designer," she said grabbing the phone and dialing. A few seconds passed by before Lily answered her phone.

"Lily… its Lisa."

"Oh hi Lisa. Thanks for calling me back."

"Anytime honey. Now, I'm going to put you on speaker since Mr. Gregson is here with me," she paused a moment while putting the phone on speaker. "Can you hear me Lily?"

"Yes," Lily responded.

"Good afternoon Lily," Mr. Gregson said.

"Hello Mr. Gregson."

"Please, call me Kyle," he smiled.

"Alright Kyle," Lily smiled into the phone.

"Now, you said this designer of yours can meet with us Friday… is that right?" Lisa asked getting down to business.

"Yes. How would 2 o'clock work for both of you?" Lily asked.

"Fine by me," Lisa replied. "You?" she asked looking up at Kyle.

"That works for me," Kyle said.

"Wonderful," Lily said enthusiastically. "I just know that this designer is going to blow you away with these designs."

"I'm excited to see what they have in mind," Kyle answered.

"Alright then, we'll see you Friday," Lisa said before hanging up the phone.

"That's all settled then," Kyle said to Lisa.

"It seems so."

"Are you sure that the designer Lily is referring to is Carly Tenney?" he asked.

"I'd put money on it," Lisa said confidently.

"How can you be sure?"

"There aren't too many designers here in Oakdale. Lily and Carly are friends. It only makes sense that she'd ask her."

"I hope you're right."

"Trust me… I am," Lisa smiled.

_Elsewhere in the Lakeview…_

Daryl and Rosanna were lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling while their breathing slowly returned to normal.

"That was amazing," Rosanna said breathlessly.

Daryl sighed contentedly, a large grin on his face.

"Someone's smug," Rosanna teased looking over at him.

Daryl laughed and rolled over onto his side to look down at the beautiful woman lying naked beside him. Rosanna had half a sheet pulled up haphazardly across her breasts.

"Seeing you laying here, your hair all disheveled your cheeks pink and your body…" he trailed off as he let his eyes wander away from her face.

"What about my body?" Rosanna asked eagerly.

"Your body makes me hungry," he said huskily as he reached out a hand and placed it on her exposed bare hip. The touch caused goose bumps to erupt all over. He pulled her toward him and slowly lowered his lips to hers.

Rosanna reached up and wound her hand around the back of his neck and let her fingers thread themselves through his hair.

An abrupt knock at the door surprised them both and their lips parted suddenly.

"Are you expecting someone?" Daryl asked with a grin.

"No one I know would dare interrupt me tonight," she said seriously. "How about you… does anyone know you're here?"

"No one I know would dare interrupt me tonight either," he grinned.

Rosanna hopped up out of the bed when the second knock sounded. She quickly grabbed a robe off the back of the chair and threw it on. She hurried quickly out of the room, tying the robe tightly around her and synching the knot tight as she arrived at the door. She opened it up and was surprised to see one of the hotel staff at the door.

"Good evening Ms. Cabot," he said politely.

"Good evening," she replied with a puzzled look on her face. "I didn't order anything," she began.

"No. This comes compliments of Mr. Montgomery," he told her as he held out a bottle of wine to her.

"Ahhh, Mr. Montgomery," Rosanna said biting her lip. She should have known. "You can tell Mr. Montgomery no thank you," she said making no effort to take the offered wine bottle.

"Nonsense," said Daryl walking up behind her. He'd thrown on a matching robe. He reached past her and grabbed the bottle from the waiter and gave him a tip.

"Thank you," he said with a smile as Rosanna looked at him like he'd lost his mind.

"Your welcome sir," the waiter said before turning and heading back downstairs.

"Oh, one more thing…," Daryl called to him. "We're not to be disturbed the rest of the evening," he grinned at the waiter.

"Understood sir," the waiter smiled and left.

"Why are you encouraging him?" Rosanna asked gesturing to the bottle of wine.

"I'm not. I'm going to enjoy this wine with you… naked, if I have my way," he winked at her. "And there's nothing Craig can do about that," he said matter-of-factly. He popped the cork and poured two glasses. He handed one to Rosanna and clinked his glass to hers.

"This is Craig we're talking about," she said unconvinced.

"To Craig then," Daryl said raising his glass. "May he get what he deserves," he said taking a drink.

Rosanna just shook her head…

_Back at the Farmhouse…_

A few hours later, Jack headed downstairs to the kitchen for dinner. He'd been smelling the wonderful aroma for about the last twenty minutes and he was surprised when his stomach growled. Apparently he was hungrier that he wanted to admit.

"It smells fantastic," Jack announced as he rounded the corner to the dining room. He stopped short at the scene in front of him. The dining table had been set complete with candles… but set for two and Jack noticed that Tracy had changed into what could only be called a cocktail dress.

"Oh… I'm sorry," Jack mumbled glancing around. Obviously she and Phillip were going to have a private dinner. "Is my plate in the kitchen?"

"No. You can sit right here," she gestured to one of the chairs at the table.

"Where's Phillip?" Jack asked looking around aimlessly. He was beginning to get a bad feeling about this.

"He's not feeling well, so he's up in his room."

"Oh," Jack said lamely not making a move to sit down.

"Come on Jack… sit down. Dinner's getting cold."

"Tracy," Jack began but she cut him off.

"It's just dinner Jack," she said softly. "Where's the harm in that?"

"This seems like more than just dinner," he said gesturing around. "I don't want you getting the wrong impression."

"What might that be?" she smiled as she took a step closer to him.

"I'm married," he stated. For a brief moment Jack was sure he'd seen her smile falter just a bit.

"So… so am I," she said more as a challenge than a fact.

"So… maybe this isn't a good idea."

"We haven't seen each other in years. We won't see each other after a few days. It won't be a problem. Just please have dinner with me… as a friend."

Jack looked at her. He'd expected this. Well, not this per say but something along these lines once he'd discovered that Tracy was the wife of the man he and Daryl were in charge of protecting. Tracy looked at him, the candlelight reflecting in her amber eyes. She waited patiently not wanting to push him away.

"Well you did go to all this trouble of making dinner," he said reluctantly.

She flashed him a huge smile. "You won't be sorry," assured him.

"But," he added quickly, "We won't be eating in here," he said blowing out the candles.

The smile quickly faded from her face. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Let's eat in the kitchen," he told her as he picked up the plates and carried them out of the room.

Tracy reluctantly followed him, carrying the platter of chicken parmesan with her. She walked into the kitchen and saw Jack setting up their plates at the counter.

"We're going to sit there?" she asked.

"Sure, why not," Jack said pulling out a stool.

"I can't sit there in this dress," Tracy pointed out.

"Well, why don't you go upstairs and change and I'll keep the food warm for you," Jack suggested.

Tracy just looked at him. Clearly things weren't going as planned.

"Fine," she said heading upstairs.

Jack breathed a sigh of relief and went to work keeping the food hot until she returned. However his relief was short-lived. About ten minutes later Tracy wandered around the corner wearing appeared to be her sleep attire… a pair of sleep pants and a tight fitting t-shirt that left nothing to the imagination. Jack quickly grabbed the platter of food out of the oven. The sooner this dinner was over the better, he thought to himself. Instead of sitting next to her on the barstool he slid his plate over and decided to eat standing up across from her. Tracy watched as he dished up his plate in silence before serving herself. After a few bites in complete silence she decided to break the ice.

"So… how long have you been married?"

"For awhile," he said vaguely. There was no reason to get into all the sordid details of their relationship.

"What's her name?"

Jack didn't really want to discuss his marriage with Tracy but perhaps hearing about Carly would make it clear to her that there was no way in hell anything would ever happen between the two of them.

"Her name is Carly."

"Do you have any kids?"

"Yes, we have four," he smiled.

"Really?" she asked surprised. "I never pictured you as the father kind of guy."

"When I knew you I wasn't ready to be a father," he agreed with her. "But that changed when I met Carly."

"I see," she said quietly.

"So what about you and Phillip… when did you two meet?"

"I met him a few years after you," she said. "I was at a fund-raiser and Phillip was there. He bought me a drink and asked me to dance. It started out very romantic but that ended once we got married. Phillip needed a wife and I became accustomed to the life his money afforded me so I ignored the indiscretions and he rewarded me for it."

"Sounds like more of a business relationship than a marriage," Jack said.

"In a lot of ways that's exactly what it is. I mean it's not bad. He's generous, I enjoy his company, we have similar interests but as far as anything else… that was over a long time ago," she said solemnly.

"So what happens after this trial?"

"Phillip and I've decided to divorce," she said trying to gauge his reaction.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"I'm not," she told him.

Jack could tell by the look she gave him that she meant it and more.

Jack sighed inwardly… this was going to be a long two days…


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Carly made her way to the elevator of the Lakeview carrying Michael in one arm and her portfolio, purse and diaper bag in the other. She elbowed the up button at the elevator and waited. Michael was squirming around trying to look at all the new and fascinating sights at the hotel. She could feel the diaper bag start to slip off her other shoulder and she knew in a few moments things were going to start dropping from her arms.

"Oh come on you stupid elevator," she hissed under her breath.

"Let me help you with that," she heard a man's voice behind her as he reached for Michael.

"Excuse me?" Carly said whipping around before the man could pull Michael from her arms. She turned and looked up into the face of Craig Montgomery.

"Go away Craig," Carly said shaking her head and turning around to face the elevator once more.

"Carly," Craig said in a slightly scolding tone. "You're going to drop the boy if you don't hand him over. Let me help you."

"I don't need any help from you," she said adamantly. "And I would _never_ drop my son."

"Alright, then you'd drop everything else and it would go spilling all over the ground. Let me carry something," he offered again.

The last thing Carly wanted was for Craig to see her portfolio but she could see he was already eyeballing it.

"What's this?" Craig asked pulling the portfolio away from her. Carly couldn't do a thing about it due to the awkwardness of everything she was carrying.

"That… is none of your business," she frowned.

Craig opened it up and began to look through the sketches and fabrics.

"Here… take these," she told him dumping her purse and diaper bag at his feet. She quickly grabbed the portfolio away from him before he could look through any more of it.

"Are you designing again?" he asked.

"Again, that's none of your business."

"Do you have a meeting today?" he asked ignoring her previous response.

"I'm not discussing this with you," she said shaking her head. What the hell was taking the elevator so long?

"Who are you meeting with?"

The elevator finally arrived with a ding of its bell and Carly was never more grateful for small favors.

"Grab those will you, please?" she said to him as she stepped onto the elevator once it had emptied of its previous passengers. Carly pressed the number of Rosanna's floor.

Craig grabbed her things and stepped onto the elevator beside her.

"So who are you meeting with?" he asked again.

"Craig…" Carly sighed, "I'm not discussing this with you."

"Carly, you know I'm going to find out anyway… so why don't you just tell me now and get it over with," he told her.

Carly groaned inwardly. He was right of course. Craig always had an irritating way of finding out information.

"Fine!" she said loosing her temper. "I'm meeting with Lily."

"Oh really? Are you and Lily getting back into business together?" Craig asked intrigued.

"No… and that's all I'm going to say about it."

"Well, from what I could see, those designs look amazing," Craig said.

Carly's ego… and insecurities… couldn't help but be pleased, even if the compliment came from Craig.

"Really?" she asked as nonchalantly as she could.

"Sure," Craig said knowing he'd hit the mark in getting her to discuss it further. "You've always been a talented designer Carly. Everyone knows that."

Carly stood silently listening to him.

Urged on by her silence, Craig continued to lay it on.

"I'm sure that whatever you do you'll be a big hit. In fact… I'd be willing to be a consultant. You know… you could bounce ideas off me and I'd be able to help out with anything. We make a great team, you and I."

That last little bit was enough to bring Carly to her senses.

"No thanks Craig. I will never, ever get back into business with you in any capacity whatsoever," she said assuredly.

"Carly," said Craig trying to sound wounded. "You can't hold that against me forever. Besides when have I ever not had your best interests at heart?"

"When you decided to steal money from my son… that was not in my best interest."

"The money's been replaced," he pointed out.

"By Rosanna! You didn't replace all the money that you and Gabriel stole," she retorted.

"I gave you a portion of the insurance money," he said sullenly.

"You should have given it all to Parker," she threw back.

Craig sighed. "What's it going to take for you to get past all this?"

"Hmmmm… a cold day in hell?" Carly snapped as she looked over at him.

The ding of the elevator announced that they'd reached their destination. The doors opened and Carly stepped out and began walking down the hall towards Rosanna's suite. Despite the fact this was Daryl's last day with her until the assignment was over, Rosanna had offered to watch Michael for Carly while she had her meeting.

"Are we going to Rosanna's?" Craig asked finally aware of his surroundings and effectively ending his mission to get back into business with Carly.

"_I'm_ taking Michael to Rosanna's… _you_ aren't going anywhere." Carly was now aware that she'd unintentionally brought Craig over to Rosanna's. She could've kicked herself for not realizing that sooner. This was the last place he should be. She stopped suddenly and turned to face him. Craig quickly put on the brakes and prevented himself from running into her.

"I can take it from here," she told him holding out her semi-free hand for her purse and diaper bag.

"Carly… we're practically there," he replied knowing exactly what she was up to. He quickly side-stepped her and walked around and proceeded down the hall to Rosanna's suite.

Carly sighed and looked heavenward. This day was not starting off well…

_Across town…_

Jack walked the perimeter of the farmhouse where he'd been staying for the last two days. He'd awoken early that morning without the help of his alarm and prepared himself to be relieved of duty later that night by Daryl. Jack was more than ready to get home to his family and more specifically his wife. He'd missed her and wanted to be far away from here and the awkwardness of it all.

Despite Jack's assurance that he was happily married and wasn't interested, Tracy had done her best to cozy up to Jack. A casual touch here, a not-so-subtle innuendo there and it was enough for Jack to avoid her as much as he could. Her husband, Phillip was of no help. He rarely ventured out of his room during the day. He was very religious about when his mealtimes were. Like clockwork he'd be downstairs, in the kitchen at 8:30am for breakfast, 12:30pm for lunch and dinner was always at 6:00pm. Tracy would be there too, of course, cooking him his favorites. They'd share their meals over polite, if not formal conversation. Jack had never seen anything like it. It was the oddest relationship and a part of him could understand Tracy's desire and need for something more. However, it also made him all the more grateful of his own life with Carly.

The morning was cool and Jack could feel the bite of autumn in the air. The leaves had already begun to change and many of the trees had already started loosing them. Winter would come early this year. Jack pulled his jacket tighter as he thrust his hands into his pockets to keep them warm. As far as keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary, that had been easier than anticipated. The FBI had done a good job in picking this place to hide Phillip and Tracy and Jack had seen nothing questionable during his entire stay. He stopped for a moment and gazed out over the field toward the row of woods off in the distance. He turned slowly following the line of trees until he came to the long and winding dirt road that led up to the house. The field and road were quiet. Jack could hear nothing but the sounds of the birds far off in the distance under the cover of the trees. He turned back around and made his way back up to the house. As he did, he pulled his left hand out of his pocket and glanced down at his watch. It was nearly 9am. Phillip and Tracy would be finishing their breakfast.

Jack walked through the back door and entered the kitchen. He could hear the tinkling of silverware on plates coming from the dining room. He walked over to one of the cupboards and grabbed a mug to pour himself some coffee. A few moments later, Phillip entered the kitchen carrying his dishes.

"Good morning Detective," he said politely.

"Good morning Mr. Davidson," Jack smiled. "How are you doing this morning?"

"Can't complain," he said giving his usual answer.

"Good morning Detective," Tracy said entering the kitchen a moment later.

"Good morning," he said before taking a sip of his coffee.

"Can I get you anything?" Tracy asked.

"No, I'm fine thank you," Jack replied.

"Are you sure? It's really no trouble at all," she said walking past him. As she did, she gently placed her hand on his back as she reached past him and placed her plate on the counter.

"Tracy would be happy to do it," Phillip chimed in. "She loves to be helpful," he said casting a sideways glance at his wife.

"Just sit right here," Tracy directed Jack to the kitchen barstool.

She quickly grabbed a plate out of the cupboard and placed it in front of him. She didn't want Jack to find a reason to leave the kitchen. He'd been doing his best to avoid her. Since she only had a few short hours left with him here at the house, she was going to do her best to make the most of it.

"No really, I don't want to going out of your way," Jack once again pleaded.

"Sit down Detective," Phillip said. "Relax and let my wife take care of you," he said patting him on the shoulder. "It'll make her day… won't it sweetheart?" Phillip glanced once again at his wife before leaving the kitchen to retreat once more to his room.

He'd used a term of endearment but there was no sentiment behind it. Jack could hear the mocking tone in Phillip's voice. He peered over at Tracy while she busied herself with getting Jack's breakfast ready. Once she knew Phillip was out of earshot she spoke up.

"I explained to Phillip about our relationship," she told Jack.

"You did what?" Jack asked stopping mid-sip of his coffee.

"Well it sort of came up in conversation last night," she said nonchalantly.

"What exactly did you tell him?"

"I told him the truth. That we used to date and that there are some lingering feelings there," she said pointedly looking him in the eye.

"There are no lingering feelings Tracy," Jack said adamantly.

"Aren't there?"

"No. I don't know what's going on or what you're trying to do but you could've seriously jeopardized the FBI's case if Phillip decides not to testify for them," Jack said getting angry. He knew this was going to end up being an issue. He should have trusted his instincts and not listened to Daryl. What the hell had he been thinking?

"Nothing is going to jeopardize the trial," Tracy assured him. "Phillip and I were discussing what was going to happen afterward. You know with the divorce and everything."

"And…?" Jack asked waiting.

"And… it came up that I had bumped into an old flame and that I was interested in seeing what could happen," she said blatantly.

"Tracy," Jack said closing his eyes. He could feel a headache coming on.

"Yes," she said softly walking toward him, the kitchen counter still between them.

"I don't know how to say it anymore plainly… I'm married. Happily married to the only woman I have ever loved."

"I know you've said that…" she began.

"And I mean it," Jack cut in. "There is never going to be anything between us. I love Carly. Always have… from the moment we first met."

"Things can change, Jack."

"Not for me, they can't. Carly's my life. Her and the kids… she's all I want."

"You could be missing out on so much more," Tracy insisted.

"Not possible," Jack assured her. "I'm flattered, but this…" he said gesturing between them, "…is never going to happen."

"I don't remember you being so scared of a little risk," she shot back.

"Loosing Carly isn't worth any risk."

"Well… she's a lucky woman," Tracy said unable to disguise the sarcasm in her voice.

"I'm the lucky one," Jack assured her.

_Back at the Lakeview…_

Carly watched Craig's retreating back as he made his way to Rosanna's. Carly quickly hurried to catch up with him. She didn't want Rosanna opening the door to find him standing there. Unfortunately for Carly she was too late. As she approached Rosanna's suite, she saw Craig standing there in the doorway but it wasn't Rosanna that had answered the door… it was Daryl.

"You're not coming in here," Daryl told him.

"I'm helping Carly," Craig explained.

"I can take those things," Daryl said indicating to the diaper bag and purse.

"Sorry Daryl," Carly apologized with a small smile.

"You've got nothing to apologize for," Daryl grinned back. "Here let me take this big guy," he said as he reached for Michael. "I can't believe how big you've gotten buddy." Michael cooed at Daryl as he carried him inside the suite. Craig decided to use this opportunity to walk into the suite as well.

"What do you think you're doing?" Carly asked him hitting him on the arm.

"Bringing your things inside," Craig explained.

"I thank you for your help Craig but it's time to go now," Carly said annoyed.

"Is the handsome little guy here?" Rosanna called walking out from the other room.

"Yes I am," chimed Craig. "I wouldn't call myself little however," he added smugly.

Daryl eyeballed Craig. Rosanna stood motionless with her mouth open, clearly surprised to see him. Carly looked disgusted and hit him again.

"What's the matter with you?" She grabbed her purse and the diaper bag from him and spun him around and pushed him toward the door.

"I didn't get a chance to say hello to Rosanna," Craig protested as was being forced back toward the door.

"Rosanna wasn't expecting you," Carly said as she managed to get him outside the door. "Thanks again Craig. See ya later," she told him as she tried to close the door but Craig stopped it with his hand.

"Thank you Craig for helping Carly," Rosanna said politely.

"You're very welcome Rosanna. Why don't you call me this weekend. I was thinking of taking Johnny to the park. Perhaps you could meet us?" he suggested.

"We'll see," Rosanna replied not wanting to commit to anything.

"You know he'd love to see," Craig laid it on.

"She'll call you," Carly said and shut the door. "I'm so sorry," she apologized again. "I was standing in lobby waiting for the elevator and I had my arms full and he just appeared."

"Again, don't worry about," Daryl laughed before turning his attention back to Michael. "I can see why your daddy is anxious to come home," Daryl spoke to Michael.

"We're anxious to have him home too," Carly said walking over to them. "So… how is it there?" she asked wanting to know exactly what kind of situation Jack was in.

"Carly you know I can't talk about it," Daryl told her.

"I know but it's just so hard not having any contact with him at all," she sulked.

"He'll be home tonight. You only have to wait a few more hours," he said gently.

"Just a few more hours," she said under her breath. "I should go so I can get back quickly and give you guys the rest of the afternoon," she said turning to Rosanna.

"I fed him just before we left so he should be good as far as that goes. Hopefully he'll be a good boy while I'm gone," she said to Rosanna.

"He'll be a perfect angel, just like always," Rosanna assured her.

"Wish me luck," Carly said taking a deep breath and heading for the door.

"You won't need it," Rosanna smiled.

A short ten minutes later, Carly was standing outside the office of Lisa Grimaldi. Lily poked her head outside the door.

"We're ready for you," she grinned.

Carly nodded and followed her into the room. Lisa was sitting at her desk and a handsome man a few years younger than Carly perhaps was seated at one of the chairs. He immediately stood up as Lily and Carly entered the room.

"Lisa… you know Carly Snyder," Lily said.

"Carly," Lisa said curtly affording her a small forced smile.

"Mr. Gregson… I'd like to introduce you to Carly Snyder. Carly this is Mr. Kyle Gregson."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Kyle said extending his hand.

"It's nice to meet you too. Thank you for this opportunity," Carly smiled in return.

"I'm excited to see what you've brought us," Kyle told her. "Shall we get started?" he asked turning to Lisa.

"Yes, that sounds like a good idea," Lisa agreed.

Lily and Mr. Gregson took a seat while Carly prepared her presentation. She set up her various design boards and began speaking in detail of her ideas on how to transform the Lakeview into something fresh and new but still keeping with the class and tradition that the Lakeview was known for. After about twenty minutes she'd gone over all her ideas and answered questions along the way from Lily, Lisa and Mr. Gregson.

"Well, I for one, am thoroughly impressed," Lily stated once Carly was finished.

"Of course you are," Lisa said. "She's the designer you chose."

Carly sat quietly and tried to bite her tongue.

"That's not the reason Lisa," Lily assured her. "Of course I knew Carly would be able to come up with something great. However, these designs even surpassed my expectations. They're amazing!"

"Thank you Lily," Carly smiled grateful for her friends support.

"They are quite nice," Lisa said glancing over at the design boards again. "I'm not sure though. We've only seen Carly's designs. There are other designers out there… What do you think, Mr. Gregson?"

"Well, I'm very impressed with Ms. Snyder's ideas."

"It's Mrs. Snyder… I'm married," Carly corrected him.

"My apologies. Mrs. Snyder's design ideas are very good and I think she's made a lot of good choices as far as color and textures."

"Thank you," Carly said.

"Well, we thank you for bringing these by Carly. Give us a couple of days to discuss it and we'll get back to you," Lisa told her abruptly ending the discussion.

"Ok," Carly said somewhat surprised. She hadn't expected the meeting to end so abruptly. "Thank you so much for this opportunity," she said as she stood up and began to collect her things.

"Thank you so much Carly. Your designs were fabulous," Lily said softly as she helped her.

"Yes… thank you so much Carly," Kyle said walking over to shake her hand once more. "It was a pleasure meeting you," he said looking directly into her eyes.

"Thank you," Carly said softly. "I appreciate the kind words."

"I meant every word," he told her, his green eyes never wavering from her blue ones.

"Thank you Lisa," Carly said tearing her eyes away from Mr. Gregson. "I look forward to hearing from you."

"Thanks for stopping by," Lisa said casually as if she'd been by for a chat.

Carly sighed inwardly knowing that she and Lisa would never be able to repair all the damage between them. She headed for the elevator and Lily accompanied her.

"I think it went really well," Lily said confidently.

"I don't know. Lisa seemed less than enthusiastic about it," Carly replied.

"I'm pretty sure you've got Kyle's approval."

"Maybe," Carly said unsure.

"Are you kidding? He was really impressed. I could tell that he liked you," Lily reassured her.

"I guess we'll find out in a couple of days," Carly said not wanting to get her hopes up. The hard part was over. Now all she had to do was wait.

"Thanks Lily… for suggesting me."

"Of course," Lily smiled giving her a hug. "Now go home. I know you're excited about Jack coming home tonight."

"You have no idea," Carly laughed as the elevator doors opened and Carly stepped inside.

"I'll call you when I hear anything," Lily said as the doors closed.

_A few floors above…_

Carly arrived at Rosanna's a few moments later and knocked on the door and was greeted within seconds by a smiling Rosanna.

"So how did it go?" she asked eager to hear all about it.

"I think it went really, really well," Carly smiled. "I knew Lisa was going to be a hard sell but even she reluctantly admitted that my designs were good. And Lily I knew would like them."

"So the only question was this other gentleman. What was his name?"

"Kyle Gregson," Carly answered.

"And what did he think about your designs?" "From what I could tell he liked them," Carly said the smile fading slightly from her face.

"Why do you look worried?"

"I don't know. He was very nice but I'm just not sure if he was being nice to my face only to rip me apart once I left. I just don't know…" she said leaving the thought hanging.

"I'm sure that's not the case," Rosanna said encouragingly.

"Well never mind all that… where's my little man?" she said glancing around the room.

"He's in the other room with Daryl. They've been having a blast," Rosanna laughed.

Carly followed her into the other room. There Carly found Michael and Daryl on a blanket on the floor. Michael lay on his back, feet and hands up in the air reaching for a toy that Daryl was dangling above him. Daryl squeezed the toy which in turn made a squeaking noise which then elicited a giggle from Michael. Over and over this happened as Carly and Rosanna watched the two of them. Carly peaked at Rosanna out of the corner of her eye and she recognized the loving look she cast at Daryl, watching him interact with Michael. Carly knew that this right here… this scenario, was something Rosanna desperately wanted. A husband and child of her own. Carly looked back at Daryl and smiled.

"I hope he's not been too much trouble," she laughed knowing the answer to that.

"We've had a good time, didn't we buddy?"

Michael immediately responded to his mom's voice and looked at her direction and gifted her with a smile that melted Carly's heart.

"Mommy missed you," she cooed at him as she bent over to pick him up. "But it looks like you had a good time with Auntie Rosanna and Daryl."

"He was such a good boy," Rosanna said walking over and patting Michael on the back.

"Thank you both so much for watching him for me."

"Anytime," Daryl told her getting to his feet. "And after we've moved into our place, we'd love to baby-sit whenever you need it," he offered. "Wouldn't we?" he asked looking over to Rosanna.

"Absolutely," she nodded bestowing a radiant smile upon him. Rosanna's stomach did a little flip-flop when he mentioned "our place".

"Well, we should get home and get ready for Daddy," she said reaching down with one hand to pick up Michael's toys off the blanket.

"Let me do that," Daryl offered.

After all of the baby things were packed up, Carly and Michael headed toward the door.

"Thanks again. It was good to see you Daryl," Carly smiled at him. "I know Rosanna has really missed you," she said before giving her sister a kiss on the cheek.

"I'll see you guys later," she said giving them a wave and heading out the door.

"That was fun," Rosanna smile closing the door behind Carly.

"Yes it was," Daryl agreed. "And is it true… did you really miss me?" his voice dropped and Rosanna immediately noted the change. He stepped closer to her so that their faces were inches apart.

"You haven't been able to tell?" Rosanna asked him coyly.

"Hmmmm, I think you might need to show me again," he said huskily.

"I think I could do that," she grinned before his mouth descended upon hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck as his wrapped around her waist pulling her close.

_Downstairs at the Lakeview…_

Lily entered Lisa's office to find Kyle and Lisa discussing the meeting with Carly.

"So what do you really think Mr. Gregson?" Lily asked.

"I said what I really thought earlier," he told her. "I think Carly's designs were spectacular. I think she'd be a great fit. However, it's not my call to make. This is your hotel," he said gesturing to both Lily and Lisa. "You both need to come to an agreement. If you want to have me make arrangements for other designers to come in, I can do that," he offered.

"Well Lisa?" Lily asked turning to her. "Are you going to be able to look past your history with Carly and make the right decision?"

"Lily," Lisa said stung. "I will always do what's in the best interest of this hotel. You know how I feel about this place. This is my home."

"I know that, but I also know you have some personal objections to Carly."

"That may be true, but I will also admit that Carly is an amazing designer."

"So does that mean you are willing to give her the job?" Lily asked.

"Give me a day or two to think about it," Lisa said.

"I can do that," Lily smiled, hopeful. "Well, I should run. The kids should be home from school soon," she said excusing herself.

"It was good to see you again," she said to Mr. Gregson.

"Yes it was," he smiled kindly in return.

"Call me as soon as you reach a decision Lisa."

"I will honey. Give those kids a kiss from me." As soon as Lily was gone, Lisa turned to Kyle. "So… how do you think it went?"

"I think it went well. You played the part perfectly. Carly would have been suspicious if you had accepted her with open arms. She's smart… we have to be smarter. We didn't want to give her the job too quickly. We have to make her think she earned it," he reminded her.

"And Lily? You don't think she suspects anything?" Lisa asked.

"No. Lily is more interested in helping Carly and isn't looking for anything else," Kyle told her. "No… everything went really well today. This may be easier than I first thought," he smiled.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Rosanna straightened the waistband of her skirt as she finished zipping it up. Daryl stood on the other side of the bed tucking his own shirt back into his slacks. He watched her as she smoothed the fabric down and fiddled with the hem. She glanced in the mirror to smooth her hair and caught him watching her.

"What are you looking at?" she smiled at him through the reflection.

"You… It never ceases to amaze me at how beautiful you are," he told her softly.

"A girl could get used to hearing that," she said playfully turning around and walking over to him.

He watched her as she walked over and stood before him. She reached up and adjusted the collar of his shirt and began to tie his tie for him. He stood there silently and let his eyes get their fill of her. The next two days were going to be torture after the last few heavenly ones here with her. Once she was done with the tie she looked up into his eyes and smiled. He glanced down to admire her handy-work.

"Thank you," he said his voice low. He lowered his lips towards her and gave her a soft kiss.

"You're welcome," she smiled up at him in return. "I'm going to really miss you."

"You have no idea how much I'm going to miss you," he grinned. "Thankfully it'll only be for the weekend. I should be done with everything by Monday afternoon and then… that's it. I'll be officially done with the FBI. It's going to be kind of weird."

"Are you having second thoughts about leaving?" she asked him half dreading the answer.

Daryl could sense the worry in her voice. He put his hand under her chin and tilted her face up to his.

"Absolutely not… especially when I'm with you. I know I made the right choice and I don't regret a thing," he said sincerely.

Rosanna gave him a radiant smile and wrapped her arms around his neck. He cupped the back of her head and pulled her close as he kissed her again. After a few moments, Daryl reluctantly broke the kiss off.

"I don't want to… but I should really get going," he said kissing the tip of her nose.

Rosanna sighed. "I know… I know… you have to go," she said disappointedly.

"I'm sure Jack is more than ready to leave that place anyway," Daryl said trying to distract her.

"I'm sure he's missed Carly and the kids," Rosanna agreed.

"That's not exactly what I was referring to," Daryl said shaking his head. He walked over and grabbed his jacket and suitcase off the bench at the foot of the bed.

"What do you mean?" Rosanna asked curious.

"Well… I shouldn't say anything, but at this point… it really doesn't matter," Daryl began.

Rosanna followed him towards the living room.

"One of the people we're keeping an eye on is someone that both Jack and I know," he explained.

"Really?"

"She's actually the wife of the guy the FBI is going to have testify for them."

"How do you know her?"

"Well…," Daryl began setting his suitcase down by the front door. "That's a funny story."

Rosanna looked at him waiting for him to continue.

"I actually dated her."

"What?"

"We dated… really briefly," Daryl clarified quickly. "She actually really had a thing for Jack."

"Huh…" Rosanna said before turning around and heading back to the sofa.

"What's wrong?" he asked following her.

"Oh… nothing," Rosanna said shaking her head, her voice suddenly an octave higher than normal.

"Somehow I don't think that's nothing," Daryl said coming up to her and turning her around so that she faced him.

"I'm wondering why you decided to tell me all of this now… as you're heading out the door," she said looking up into his eyes.

"I merely mentioned it because I know Jack will be happy to leave there. Tracy can be kind of aggressive about things."

"Oh really?" Rosanna raised an eyebrow at him and gave him a look.

"I didn't mean it like that," Daryl laughed.

"I don't see how any of this is humorous," Rosanna said folding her arms.

Daryl laughed harder. "Am I mistaken or are you jealous?" he asked teasing her.

Rosanna ignored him and turned away but Daryl wouldn't let her. He pulled her back toward him and wrapped his arms around her.

"You have nothing to be jealous of," he said sweetly. He leaned down and kissed her cheek. Rosanna continued to pout a little bit.

"I'm serious Rosanna. You have nothing to worry about. Besides… Jack is the one she's always wanted," he stated matter-of-factly.

"You probably think I'm being childish," she said semi-embarrassed.

"Actually, it's the contrary. I find it sexy as hell," he said huskily near her ear.

Rosanna couldn't help but giggle. She looked up at him with her blue eyes gave him a sexy smile.

"That's my girl," he grinned back. His lips found her immediately. Rosanna opened her mouth willingly and granted his tongue access. Daryl threaded his fingers through her hair as their tongues entwined. Rosanna's hands held his hips as he kissed her passionately until Daryl once again, reluctantly broke off the kiss.

"I don't want you to go," she sighed.

"I don't want to go either," he said giving her another peck. "Thankfully this time will be short… not the 3 weeks like last time."

"I know… only two more days," she said nodding her head.

He smiled down at her before going to retrieve his bag and jacket once again. He quickly threw the jacket on before turning to look at her.

"I love you," he told her.

"I love you too," she smiled back at.

"See you soon," he said blowing her a kiss as grabbed his bag and headed out the door.

_Across town…_

Jack was walking in the backyard at the farmhouse, doing one last perimeter check before Daryl arrived. He was anxious for this assignment to be over and it seemed like the day was just dragging along. He was headed back toward the house when he saw Tracy walking towards him in the distance. There was a slight slope to the yard and the ground was a bit uneven. It all happened in slow motion as Jack watched the scene unfold. Tracy took a step and lost her footing. She tried to catch herself but ended up falling forward and tumbling slightly down the hill. Jack rushed forward to see if she was alright.

"Ouch!" Tracy exclaimed grabbing her left ankle. She winced in pain as she moved to a more dignified sitting position on the ground.

"Are you ok?" Jack asked kneeling down beside her. He pulled her hand away to check her ankle to see it was already starting to swell slightly.

"I'm so clumsy," Tracy grumbled.

"It could have happened to anyone," Jack told her trying to console her. "However… these shoes were probably the cause," he said looking down at the dress shoes she was wearing. The heel wasn't too high but it certainly wasn't something that she should be wearing outdoors in the middle of a grassy field.

"You're right," Tracy laughed. "They're the best ones I've got for walking out here," she said indicating to the field.

"Do you think you can walk?" Jack asked helping her to her feet. He braced his arms and hands in case she needed help.

"I think so…" she said gingerly taking a step. Her ankle gave out and she fell against him. Her hands braced herself against his chest.

"Ooops… I got ya," Jack said steadying her.

"Thanks," she said softly looking up at him.

"No problem," Jack smiled awkwardly. "Here… let's try walking again… you can lean against me," he suggested.

"Alright," she said twisting around to try and walk up the hill. She immediately winced in pain and lifted her left foot. "I don't think I can."

"Ok here we go," he said leaning down and scooping her up in his arms. Her arms went around his neck.

Jack hurried up the hill as quickly as he could.

"Oh Jack… what would I ever do without you," she smiled at him.

"You'd get along just fine I'm sure," he said dismissing the compliment.

He climbed up the back steps of the porch and made his way through the sliding back door into the kitchen. He carried her into the living room where he deposited her onto the sofa. He then proceeded to go back into the kitchen and retrieve an ice pack out of the freezer with a hand towel. He brought it back to her and sat down on the sofa gently pulling her legs up with him. He removed her shoes and placed the ice pack on her left ankle.

Tracy watched him the entire time without saying a word. She'd seen him walking around the field like he'd done each day. She knew he was anxious to get back to his family and she knew his time there at the farmhouse was quickly coming to an end. She'd wanted to talk to him once more… alone… and so she'd decided to head outside. As she'd been walking the idea of faking an injury to get his attention had come to her. She knew the kind of guy Jack was and he'd hurry to her aid without thinking twice. So as she'd begun to walk down the hill she purposely had stepped awkwardly. It had worked. Only a little too well. On the second step to "steady" herself she'd actually hurt her ankle. So what had started out as a rouse to get Jack's attention actually was reality. She sat there on the sofa watching him tend to her ankle.

"I think it'll be ok as long as you stay off it and ice it," he said looking away from her ankle and into her eyes.

"Thanks to you," she said placing her hand on his.

Jack smiled sheepishly and stood up off the sofa.

"Why were you out there anyway?" he asked.

"I wanted to talk to you," she replied.

"About what?"

"Nothing in particular. I know you're leaving soon and I just wanted to spend a little more time with you before you left."

"Oh," Jack mumbled not really knowing what to say.

"I know I told you that I'd love to pick up where we left off," she began.

"Tracy…," Jack interrupted but she continued anyway.

"No Jack… let me finish. I heard what you said about you being married and I want you to know that whatever happens…you can always come to me."

Jack looked at her confused.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked her.

"I mean that if for whatever reason, things don't work out between you and your wife… I'll be waiting."

Jack looked at her like she'd sprouted a second head.

"Why would things not work out? Are you threatening my wife?" he asked.

"No! Of course not silly… I just mean, that I know that marriages don't always last. Mine will be ending soon enough. If that were to ever happen… you could always come to me. I'm more than willing to make things work between us."

"Tracy," Jack sighed. "We only went out a couple of time… dinner… that was it. There was no relationship."

"We kissed… you have to remember that," she said giving him a sexy smile.

"Ok… we may have kissed," he admitted not really remembering for sure. "But to say we had some kind of relationship when we didn't is going a bit far," he told her.

Tracy's face fell hearing him not able to recall the kiss they shared. She shrugged it off however and persisted.

"All I'm saying is that I think we could have had something great… something they write stories about. I want you to know that whenever you decide you're ready… I'll be ready."

"I don't know how I can make this any more clear to you. You and I will never happen. I'm not trying to be mean but there is no way that I'm ever leaving Carly," Jack said adamantly.

"I know you mean that," she said obligingly. "But you never know what the future holds."

Jack stood there shaking his head in disbelief. She seriously was deluding himself.

"I'm sorry Tracy. No… not now… not ever. Period."

"Hey Jack… I'm back," Daryl announced walking through the front door.

Jack spun around at the voice and was never more relieved to see his friend in his life.

"Perfect timing," he sighed in relief.

"Yeah right… perfect timing," Tracy said glumly slumping back against the arm of the sofa. Why couldn't Daryl have waited another thirty minutes or so. She folded her arms and glared at him.

"I'm sorry… am I interrupting something?" Daryl asked.

"No," Jack replied immediately while Tracy replied, "Yes."

"Ok," Daryl said looking from one to the other.

"Let's go outside and talk," Jack said to him turning him around and heading out of the room.

"Can I at least take my bag upstairs?" Daryl asked him stopping at the door.

"Fine… I'll grab my bag now," Jack said following him up the stairs.

Tracy sat on the sofa and pouted and the turn of events.

_A short while later…_

Daryl leaned up against the unmarked police car that he and Jack were using to take them to and from the farmhouse. Jack gave him the rundown of what happened during his stay. Jack let Daryl know that Mr. Davidson was aware of the fact that both he and Daryl knew Tracy from before.

"I'm sure it won't be a problem," Daryl assured him, though he did look worried.

"That's what Tracy said too… but I'm telling you Daryl, this was not a good idea."

"So what did I walk in on?" Daryl asked.

Jack sighed heavily. He didn't even know where to begin.

"The other night… Tracy made it clear that she was interested."

"Interested in what?" Daryl asked. Jack gave him a look and Daryl began to understand. "Ohhhh," he added. "Is she still hung up on you?"

"I don't know," Jack said irritated. "She wanted me to know that if things didn't work out between me and Carly she'd be there to pick up the pieces," Jack rolled his eyes.

"That's forward," Daryl chuckled.

"This isn't funny," Jack said frowning.

"Oh come on… it is kind of funny. You know that there's no chance of that happening," he said patting Jack on the shoulder. "You need to lighten up."

"After the last several months… that's not an option. I want a nice quiet life with my wife and my kids. Is that too much to ask?"

"For you… apparently."

"That's not what I want to hear," Jack said running a hand through his hair.

"Well don't worry about it now. You get to leave and go home to your kids and your lovely wife… who I saw earlier today."

"How is she?" Jack said all thoughts of Tracy gone from his mind.

"She's good… but she misses her husband."

Jack smiled. God had he missed her.

"So what are you still doing here, huh?"

"I have no idea," Jack laughed. He extended his hand and Daryl shook it. "Have fun," he said not really meaning it as he tossed his bag into the back seat of the car. He got inside and pulled out of the drive way and did not look back.

Tracy stood at the large living room window watching Jack drive away. She'd hobbled over to look out the window to keep an eye on him. She stood sullenly as his car disappeared from view. He hadn't even bothered to say goodbye. No matter she thought to herself. I'll be seeing him again very, very soon…

_Over in Milltown…_

Carly carried the covered casserole dish to the dining table and set it down. She glanced around the table making sure she hadn't forgotten anything. She'd decided to take Emma up on her offer to watch the kids for the night. At first Carly had dismissed the idea knowing the kids would want to see their dad. However, she then decided that she really missed her husband and having one night all alone with him might be something she'd could take advantage of. When she'd dropped off the kids earlier at the farm, Emma had surprised her and presented her with dinner for them all ready to be popped in the oven. She'd made Jack's favorite pot roast and potatoes. Carly had been so grateful she'd nearly burst into tears. She'd hugged Emma and thanked her profusely for her generosity.

So here she was… dinner ready, table ready, room lit with candles, music playing softly in the background, herself… dressed to impress. She had on a black silk halter top with one of her favorite black skirts. Her naturally curly hair was pulled back loosely so that a few tendrils hung here and there, the way Jack liked it. The only thing missing now was Jack. Carly glanced at the clock on the mantle. _He should be here by now_, she thought to herself. It was then that she heard a car outside. She hurried over to the window and looked out. Sure enough, Jack's car had just pulled into the driveway. She quickly checked herself in the mirror. She dabbed at the corner of her mouth and brushed away the little bit of excess lip gloss. Perfect, she thought to herself. Carly hurried back over to the sofa and quickly sat down and pretended to be as nonchalant as she could. She grabbed a magazine and held it in front of her just as Jack opened the door.

"Honey I'm home," he called walking in. "Oh! Hi there," he said gifting her with a brilliant smile.

"Hi," she said, smiling at him.

"Something smells wonderful," he said setting down his bag and taking off his coat.

"Pot roast," she told him. "From Emma," she added when he gave her a questioning look.

"Where are the kids?" he asked walking toward her.

"At Emma's," she smiled looking up at him.

"I'll have to thank her," he said chuckled holding out a hand. Carly placed hers in it and allowed him to pull her up off the sofa.

"So what have you been up to?" he asked pulling her into his arms and nuzzling her neck. He loved her neck and Carly knew it. Hence the reason she picked the silk halter top that emphasized it.

"Just reading," she said leaning into him and tilting her head to the side as he wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Upside down?" he mumbled as he kissed the top of her shoulder. His hands pulled at her waist as he pressed his body against hers.

"What?" she asked confused.

"The magazine… it was upside down," he laughed.

"Must you notice every little detail?" she asked hitting him playfully on the arm.

"I'm a cop… that's my job. Besides… I noticed your hair," he said lifting his head to look in her eyes. They swept over the top of her and down to her body.

"I noticed this outfit," he said huskily caressing her bare shoulders. Carly sighed and bit her lower lip.

"I noticed those lips of yours… that have consumed my every thought since I've been gone," he whispered looking intently into her blue eyes.

Carly's lips parted as her breathing increased. She'd missed him…

Jack lowered his head and kissed her softly. Her mouth was already open in invitation and Jack hungrily swept his tongue inside. The tip of it flicked lightly against hers and he moaned in response. Carly rubbed her hands over his back, raking her nails lightly as she did so. Jack intensified the kiss in response as he backed her up toward the couch. He grabbed hold of her waist and lowered her onto it placing one knee between her legs.

"Jack," Carly breathed breaking the kiss.

"Hmmmmm," Jack responded kissing her neck again.

"What about dinner?" Carly asked breathlessly. "Aren't you hungry?"

Jack laughed huskily.

"I'm starving… but what I want isn't on that table," he said. His hand left her waist and traveled up her side, gently grazing the side of her breast. Carly inhaled sharply at the deliberate act.

"I suppose though that we should eat since Emma went to all that trouble… and she is watching the kids," he said reluctantly.

"I suppose," Carly nodded.

"And besides, we do have all night."

"Yes we most certainly do," she grinned.

"Alright… let's hurry up and eat," he laughed kissing her nose.

About an hour later after they'd finished dinner and had done the dishes, Carly was walking out of the living room drying her hands with a dish towel. Jack had gone upstairs to change and was bounding down the stairs dressed only in his pajama bottoms. Carly stopped short at the sight of him. His chiseled chest darkened by the summer sun drew her attention and she wanted nothing more than to put her hands on him immediately. He stood at the bottom of the stairs with a sexy grin on his face.

"Hey beautiful," his voice was low.

Carly could only smile as she let her eyes feast upon him. He was so sexy.

"The dishes done?" he asked walking slowly over to her.

"Yep," Carly nodded. She could feel her body react as he drew near. Her heart raced and the anticipation of him touching her nearly drove her mad.

"Good," he said closing the distance. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into an embrace.

"Do you know how good you feel?" he asked her, his dark brown eyes danced with desire.

"Well if I feel as good as you feel to me… I think I have an idea," she said placing her hands on his arms and sliding them slowly up to his shoulders and down his chest to his abs. They stopped when they reached the waistband of his pants, her eyes never leaving his.

Jack felt himself harden and Carly felt it to.

"I want to show you how much I missed you," he said kissing her cheek and then her neck.

"Yes," Carly nodded.

Jack grabbed her hand in his and led her up the stairs to their bedroom. Once inside, he took her in his arms and kissed her. It was soft at first, gentle. But then the passion began to take over and the kiss deepened in intensity. Jack held her face and kissed grinding his hips against hers. Carly swayed against him and felt his erection press against her. His hands fumbled with the closure of her top for a moment before freeing the tie. He let the fabric fall, exposing her breasts. His hands immediately cupped each one and teased the already hardened nipples. Carly arched her back, moaning in pleasure as Jack worked his magic on her. He slowly directed them to the bed where he gently laid her back down, kissing her the whole way. His kiss left her lips and traveled down her neck to each breast, where he took his time suckling at the nipple, teasing it with his tongue. Carly ran her fingers through his hair, arching against his mouth. His kiss traveled lower to the waistband of her skirt. There he stopped his kiss and found the zipper at her hip. He looked down at his wife and drank her in. Her golden hair spilled out on the bed. Her beautiful breasts, her creamy skin… just waiting to be tasted. He unzipped her skirt and slowly slid it down her legs. She had on a tiny pair of cream colored lace panties that teased his senses. Carly gazed at Jack with unbridled desire. She reached for the sides of her panties and hooked her thumbs in them and began to remove them herself. Jack grinned at her and watched her remove the last bit of clothing from her body. She kicked them off and leaned up on her elbows.

"Now it's your turn," she told him raising an eyebrow.

"Yes ma'am," he laughed as he quickly stood up and slipped off his pajama pants. Carly admired every inch of him and looked hungrily at the hard fullness of him. She slid back on the bed so that she was in the center. Jack took her cue and climbed up and rested himself between her legs.

"God you're so beautiful," he said leaning up on one arm and caressing her waist with the other. "I want you so bad."

"Then what are you waiting for," she said raising her hips so that her moist center brushed against the tip of his shaft.

Jack moaned and swiftly entered her. He held still for a moment reveling in the feel of her. He began to move slowly. Carly matched his rhythm and moved against him creating a delicious friction.

"Yes Jack," she breathed wrapping a hand around his neck. She pulled his mouth to hers and kissed him. Their tongues mimicking their bodies' movement.

Jack began to thrust faster. Carly threw her head back and Jack lowered his mouth, kissing her neck. Carly could feel her body getting closer and closer to finding it's release. She arched her back and Jack moved his mouth lower so that it hovered over the nipple. He teased it mercilessly with his tongue until he finally sucked it into his mouth. Carly cried out immediately as Jack felt her climax. Her body rocked with wave after wave and he felt his own release coming. He pumped into her several more times until he too reached his release. He lay against her and Carly wrapped her arms around him. She loved the feel of him on her.

He kissed the top of her shoulder before raising his head to looking into her face.

"I missed you," he said softly.

"Not as much as I missed you," she smiled back.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," he said kissing her again. Carly could sense a change in tone when he said that.

"Did something happen? Were you in danger?" she asked suddenly concerned.

"No honey… nothing like that. I just meant that I realized while I was away how grateful I am that we found our way back to each other."

"You just realized that now?" she teased.

"No… I've known that all along. I guess what I mean is that at the very beginning… when we first met… I took for granted what we had and I didn't appreciate it enough."

"Oh…" Carly said softly, still not sure what he was talking about but was relieved to know that nothing dangerous had gone on. She hugged him close and kissed his shoulder.

"You should have listened to me way back then," she giggled. "You should know by now that I'm always right."

He gave her a look that said otherwise but then added, "When it comes to you and I… yes, you always have been." He lowered his mouth slowly and kissed her again…


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Lisa sat at her desk going over the latest invoices. There was a soft knock on her door before it opened. In walked a young woman followed by Kyle Gregson.

"Mrs. Grimaldi… Mr. Gregson is here to see you," the young woman said.

"Thank you Stephanie," Lisa said looking up from her papers and granting the woman a smile. She waited for Stephanie to leave before addressing Mr. Gregson.

"Good morning Lisa. How are you today?" Kyle asked pleasantly taking a seat in one of the chairs facing Lisa's desk.

"Why I'm just fantastic Mr. Gregson. Thank you for asking," Lisa said in her usual style.

"How many times must I tell you… it's Kyle."

"Yes, yes… it's just that I feel we should keep up this pretence that we don't know each other as well as we actually do."

"Whatever makes you more comfortable. If you prefer a more formal relationship, then that's fine by me. Now… let's get down to business. I believe we've let Lily and Mrs. Snyder wait as long as we must. I think we should contact them today and ask them to come down for a meeting."

Lisa sighed. A part of her wanted nothing to do with this whole thing. She'd never gotten past all the things that Carly had done to those she loved over the years. Working with her was going to be difficult at best.

"Well… if you're sure," she agreed reluctantly.

"I thought you were on board with all of this? Has something changed?" Kyle asked her concerned.

"No. That's not it. I just… I don't know. Is this really the right way to go about it? I feel guilty getting Lily involved."

"Don't worry about that. Everything will be fine. Lily won't be affected one way or another by your involvement," Kyle said trying to reassure her. "However, if you're having doubts… now is the time to address them. Once everything is set in motion there can be no turning back. I have a job to do and failure is not an option."

"No," Lisa replied setting her chin. "I'm on board. You don't have to worry about me. I'll do whatever it takes to see this thing through."

"That"s what I like to hear," Kyle smiled at her. "Now… why don't we give Lily a call and give her the good news."

Lisa nodded and picked up the phone…

_Over in Milltown…_

The weekend went by quickly and Monday came sooner than either Jack or Carly had wanted it to. The weekend had been uneventful but relaxing. They spent their time at home with the kids after Jack had been gone for most of the week. They'd had dinner out at the farm on Saturday with Emma when they went to pick up the kids. Sunday had been a lazy day and they all just spent the day at home hanging out.

Carly came downstairs and was greeted to the smell of coffee wafting from the kitchen. She smiled to herself knowing that Jack was in there. She walked into the kitchen and found Jack filling two mugs… one for her and one for him.

"Good morning beautiful," Jack smiled at her as he leaned in to kiss her cheek.

"Morning," Carly smiled back closing her eyes as she leaned into his kiss.

"I was just on my up to give you this," Jack said handing her the mug of coffee. "I wanted to make sure I said goodbye before leaving," he said taking a sip of his own.

"What? Really? You have to leave now?" Carly asked unable to keep the whine out of her voice.

"Yes I do," Jack laughed. "I would have had more time with my wife but someone slept in," he said raising an eyebrow and heading back into the living room.

"Michael was up quite a bit last night… he's teething," she stated matter-of-factly as she followed her husband.

"I understand," he said setting his mug down on the desk. He grabbed his jacket off the back of the chair put it on.

"Are you sure you have to leave right this minute?" Carly asked walking over to him. She set her mug down on the desk next to his and adjusted the collar of his jacket. "If you stay... I'll make it worth your while," she stated seductively.

Jack laughed.

"You know I'd rather stay her with you… naked all day… than go into the station," he said wrapping his arms around her waist. His voice dropped an octave and Carly shivered involuntarily as she felt his chest vibrate against her body.

"Then I don't see the problem," she said wrapping her arms around him and looking up into his handsome face.

"Someone's gotta catch the bad guys," he said softly lowering his lips so that they hovered near hers.

"I can pretend to be a bad guy," she grinned at him. "I like to be naughty."

Jack moaned as his lips descended on hers as he pulled her body snug against his. Carly leaned hers into his and held onto to him tightly.

The phone ringing brought them back to reality.

"One of these days we're going to learn to disconnect that damn thing," Jack groaned disappointedly.

"Just ignore it," Carly begged him as she tried kissing him again.

"Honey… it's probably Margo calling me wondering where I am," Jack tried to argue but was failing miserably as Carly kissed his neck.

However, the phone would not be ignored as it continued to ring. Carly tore herself away from Jack and snatched the receiver off the base.

"No one's home," Carly stated angrily as she answered the phone.

"Carly? Is everything ok?" came Lily's voice on the other end. "Bad time?"

"Hey Lily… sorry. Yeah, your timing isn't the best," Carly laughed looking at Jack. He grinned and blew her a kiss as he grabbed his coffee cup and headed out the door.

"Well you're going to want to make time for this. Are you ready? I received a call from Lisa and Kyle Gregson this morning… they'd like to make you an offer!" she said excitedly.

"Are you serious? Really? Lisa has agreed to let me redesign the Lakeview?" Carly asked almost unable to believe what she was hearing.

"I'm absolutely 100% serious," Lily assured her. "They'd like to have you come by this afternoon and sign the contract paperwork. So if you have plans… break them. You need to be there today. You don't want Lisa changing her mind," Lily joked.

"No… no I most definitely don't," Carly agreed. "Alright then. Let me call Emma and see if she can watch Michael for me for a couple of hours and I'll meet you there."

"Sounds good," Lily replied.

"Oh and hey Lily," Carly began before hanging up. "Thanks again for suggesting me. I really appreciate it," Carly said sincerely.

"Of course. You know… I wouldn't have suggested you if I didn't think you were the right person for the job," Lily told her.

"As long as you're sure."

"I am. And it's obvious that Mr. Gregson did too. I have a really good feeling about this."

"Me too," said Carly. She hung up the phone and hurried upstairs to get ready.

_A couple of hours later…_

Carly hurried into the Lakeview lobby and immediately spotted Lily waiting for her. Carly stopped and took a deep breath to calm her nerves before walking over to her friend.

"I was wondering where you were," Lily smiled at her as she approached.

"Sorry. Michael was being fussy. He had a rough night last night and I didn't want to leave him like that with Emma, so I stayed a little longer than I expected to," Carly explained.

"No worries. You're here now. Let's head upstairs," Lily grinned.

A short time later, Lily knocked on Lisa's door before both she and Carly walked in together. Lisa was sitting at her desk and Kyle was standing at the window talking quietly on his cell phone. He turned and saw Carly and Lily enter the room and quickly ended his call.

"Ladies," he smiled walking over to them. "Carly… it's good to see you again. I do hope it's alright I call you Carly?" he asked politely extending his hand to her.

"Of course," Carly smiled as she shook his hand. "Especially seeing as we're going to be working together."

"That we are," he said looking intently at her. He eventually turned to Lily. "And Lily, it's wonderful to see you again," he said shaking her hand as well. "It's fantastic that you both were able to meet with us on such short notice," he said indicating to the two chairs in the room. "Please have a seat… both of you."

Carly and Lily each took a seat and before anything else was said, Carly decided to speak up.

"Lisa… I want you to know how much I appreciate this opportunity. I know that we've had our ups and downs over the years… but I want to assure you that I'm not the same girl you met all those years ago. I'll make sure you don't regret this decision. I'm going to turn the Lakeview into a masterpiece," Carly said confidently.

Lily sat there listening to Carly and she glanced over at Lisa to gauge her reaction. She really hoped that the older woman would be able to put aside her misgivings and really embrace this partnership.

Lisa sat quietly and listened to every word Carly said. She took a moment to think about her response before she opened her mouth.

"Carly… I know that you have a lot of talent. I'm sure that this business arrangement will be mutually beneficial for both of us. I'm sure that we can put our differences and our past behind us and we can work together."

Carly sat quietly and thought. That was probably as close as she was going to get with Lisa at this point and she'd take it.

"Thank you Lisa," she smiled at the older woman.

"Well… now that that's all out of the way," Kyle began looking around at the women. "How about we get down to business and get some papers signed?"

About an hour later, Carly made her way with Lily downstairs to the lobby of the Lakeview. It just so happened that she spotted Rosanna coming in at that same time. She waved and got Rosanna's attention before turning to Lily.

"Thanks so much again Lily," Carly said still giddy over the finalization of the contract.

"Don't thank me. You have your amazing designs to thank for that. Those are what got you the job," Lily assured her.

"I'm going to tell Rosanna the good news… I'll see you later," she said giving her a kiss on the cheek before meeting up with Rosanna.

"Hey sis," Carly said happily. She glanced at the large handful of bags Rosanna had in her hands. "Shopping spree?" she asked.

"How could you tell?" Rosanna laughed. "Were you meeting with Lily about the design job?"

"As a matter of fact I was," Carly grinned.

"Well that smile seems like things went well."

"It did indeed. You are now looking at the future designer of the Lakeview," Carly exclaimed. "Are you busy… I'd like to celebrate!"

A short time later, Carly and Rosanna were seated in the lounge at the Lakeview discussing the details of Carly's new business contract.

"I can't believe things actually worked out. I never would have thought Lisa would have agreed to it," Carly said still having a hard time accepting the reality of things.

"Well… she is a business woman. She obviously was able to look past her personal feelings and realize that you were the best business choice," Rosanna told her.

"Maybe… I just always thought Lisa was more stubborn than that. Anyway, enough about me. What's with all the shopping bags?"

"Oh… that," Rosanna said sheepishly. "Well as you know, Daryl comes home permanently tonight," she began.

"And…," Carly urged her on. "Don't tell me those bags are filled with lots of lingerie?" Carly grinned knowingly at her sister.

"Don't be absurd," Rosanna scolded. "Only a few of them," Rosanna admitted after Carly gave her a look.

Carly laughed.

"No. Actually most of them have home furnishings. You know like towels, candles… that type of thing. Now that Daryl is back, we're going to be moving into his place," Rosanna said softly.

"That's right! Oh Rosanna… how wonderful. I'm sure you must be thrilled."

"I am. You don't think I'm getting ahead of myself do you?" she asked cautiously.

"By buying towels and candles? No, Rosanna I don't. Are you having second thoughts?"

"No. Of course I'm not. I just don't want Daryl thinking I'm making a bigger deal out of this than it really is."

"Rosanna," Carly sighed. "Daryl is crazy about you. He's not going to get cold feel and freak out on you. He's not that type of guy."

"How do you know that?" Rosanna asked softly. "Because I don't know that."

"I know that because he's a lot like Jack. He's not the kind of man who would ask a woman to move in with him without being absolutely certain about how he felt about her. Trust me… you don't need to worry about Daryl."

"You're right," Rosanna smiled feeling relieved. "Although after he told me about that woman they had to watch I must admit I was a little jealous."

"What woman?" Carly asked.

"You know… the wife of the guy the FBI was protecting. Both Daryl and Jack knew her from before apparently."

"Really?" Carly said, her voice raising a bit.

Rosanna looked at her sister and then realized that Jack must not have mentioned anything to Carly about it.

"It's nothing really," Rosanna said as nonchalantly as she could. Rosanna suddenly became very fascinated by the food on her plate. She kept her eyes averted from Carly.

"No Rosanna… it's obviously not nothing or you wouldn't have mentioned it," Carly told her. "Go on… finish your story."

"There's really nothing more to tell," Rosanna shrugged keeping mum.

"Rosanna… spill it!" Carly said raising her voice but trying to be discreet all at the same time.

Rosanna sighed and hoped that Jack would forgive her.

"Oh alright. Well… I guess the fact is that both Jack and Daryl dated this woman many, many years ago while they both were working together. Obviously well before he met you in Montana," Rosanna reminded her.

"Yes, yes, get on with it…"

"Well it was only brief between her and Jack. He apparently dated her first but was then given an assignment and sent away. It was then that she dated Daryl. But again only briefly according to him."

"And is that it?" Carly asked.

"That's about it," Rosanna said weakly.

"Just tell me all of it," Carly said exasperatedly, shaking her head.

"According to Daryl… this woman was really broken up over Jack. She never really got over him or so he says. But what do guys know, right? I'm sure it's nothing."

"Oh I'm sure," Carly said sarcastically.

"You can't be seriously thinking Jack would ever cheat on you," Rosanna leveled at her. "I was there when you were kidnapped. Trust me, the man cannot live without you."

"It's not Jack I'm worried about," Carly stated.

"You don't have to worry about her… she's married now." Rosanna reminded her.

"That may be true… I'm just curious as to why Jack didn't mention it," Carly said thinking out loud to herself.

"I'm sure he just forgot," Rosanna suggested lamely. Carly just threw her a look.

"Or perhaps he was just so thrilled to be home in the arms of his loving wife that nothing else mattered," she offered instead.

"Perhaps," Carly replied. "Whatever the reason… Jack has some explaining to do."

"Don't be too hard on him. He's going to know you heard it from me… which means that he'll know that Daryl talked to me about the case. He'll confront Daryl and Daryl will confront me. Please don't say anything," Rosanna pleaded.

"Relax Rosanna. Jack won't mention it to Daryl… I promise," she told her sister.

"My, my, my… how is it two beautiful ladies such as yourselves are all alone with no men around?"

Rosanna and Carly glanced up at the voice and both inwardly groaned.

"Craig," Rosanna replied politely.

"I'm out of here," Carly said making to leave but Craig placed a hand on her shoulder holding her down in her chair.

"Carly… relax. You don't have to run every time you see me. Don't you trust yourself around me?" he asked smugly.

"Are you serious? Craig, please! You have no affect on me in any way other than making my skin crawl. I have some place I need to be," she said brushing his hand off her shoulder.

"Rosanna… I'll call you later in the week," she said leaning down to kiss her cheek. "Have a good night," she said quietly enough so that Craig couldn't overhear.

"Promise me you won't say anything to Jack," she repeated grabbing hold of Carly's hand and not letting go.

"Don't worry about it," she assured her again pulling her hand free. "I'll see you later."

"Was it something I said?" Craig retorted as he sat down in Carly's seat.

"Craig… I really don't have time. I have things I have to do," Rosanna told him.

"Oh come on Rosanna. You don't have to rush off right this minute. Besides Johnny will be getting back from school any minute. I know he'd love to see you," Craig told her.

"Alright Craig. You have five minutes of my time and not a minute more," she grinned in spite of herself.

"That's all I need," he smiled back at her.

_Across town…_

Jack walked back into the station room prepared to start going over a stack of papers that had built up over the last several days but was surprised to find his wife sitting at his desk. He gifted her with a huge smile as he walk up to her. He spun the chair around so that she faced him and he pulled her up into his arms.

"This is a nice surprise," he said nuzzling her neck.

"Isn't it. I'm just full of surprises," Carly smiled back though if Jack had seen her face he would have known that she wasn't being sincere.

"Oh yeah?" he said pulling back and looking down into her beautiful face. He glanced over her body hoping that perhaps she had on something underneath her clothes.

"Yes… and apparently so are you," she leveled at him. Jack immediately detected the change in her voice.

"What are you talking about?" he asked confused.

"Oh… I'm referring to you and some mystery woman from your past that I knew nothing about," Carly said folding her arms.

_Meanwhile…_

Daryl stood beside the car as he watched Tracy and Phillip load their things into the black SUV that was to take them to Chicago for the trial. The dozen or so FBI officers milling around were taking no chances with their star witness. Tracy said something to one of the officers before she walked over to Daryl.

"Hey," he said as she came up to stand beside him. "Are you all set?" he asked.

"Yes. I think I have everything. It's amazing how many things you have spread out all over the place but I'm pretty sure I've packed everything up," she smiled. "I wanted to thank you for looking out for Phillip and I."

"Of course. It was my pleasure," he smiled. "Take care. I think the FBI plan on assigning you new identities once this is all done with. Do you know where you guys would like to live?"

"I'm not sure about Phillip. We haven't really talked about it. But I have a couple of ideas in mind," she said secretively.

"Well, I guess I should probably get going. Take care," he said giving her a quick kiss on the cheek and a smile.

"You too," she said rubbing his arm. She watched Daryl walk around to the other side of the car but stopped him before he got in.

"Say Daryl… could you do me one last favor?"

"If I can," Daryl answered.

"Tell Jack that I said thank you… and until next time."


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Carly sat at Jack's desk with her arms folded across her chest as she watched him across the room. They were at the station and, obviously, he was busy. She probably should have waited until he got home to confront him about this mystery woman. However, after having just found out about it, she couldn't wait that long. She would see him glance over at her every once in a while to make sure she was still there. After a few more minutes he finally walked back over to his desk. Jack glanced down at her and noticed her body language. Arms folded, no smile, blue eyes… staring daggers at him. Jack sighed inwardly before speaking to his unhappy wife.

"Sorry about that honey. We can talk in here," Jack said indicating to the interrogation room. "Or maybe… we could wait until I get home," he said giving her a look that was half pleading and half insisting they wait.

"You'd prefer that I'm sure," Carly told him getting to her feet. She walked past him without looking at him.

"Carly…," Jack whined softly as she walked past.

"You had all weekend to tell me but you didn't. So… if you don't want to do this here, then too bad," Carly told him folding her arms again and taking a stand on the opposite side of the room.

Jack closed the door behind them and stood across from her. He looked at his beautiful wife across the room and a slow smile spread across his face. He watched as her brow furrowed as she stared back at him.

"What?" she asked irritated.

"You," he smiled at her.

"What about me?"

"Do you know how sexy you are when you're angry?" he said huskily.

Carly's mouth dropped open at his blatant attempt at trying to weasel out of this. The thought that he would have been pissed if she'd kept something like this from him kept swirling around her mind and adding fuel to her fire. She would not let him get away with it just by uttering a few words with sexual connotation to try and break her focus.

"Don't even try to change the subject," she glared at him.

"Well… it's true," Jack told her. His voice was low and he took a few steps closer to her.

Carly knew she was on shaky ground and dangerously close to being persuaded to drop her tirade. She held up her hand and used her best mother's voice.

"Jack Snyder, you stop right now," she said firmly.

He did as he was told but the grin was still planted on his handsome face. He gave her an innocent look.

"What?" he asked her.

"You stay right where you are. Don't come one step closer," she warned him. "Go back over there," she told him indicating to the other side of the room. She quickly put the desk in between them as a protective barrier.

Jack put his hands up innocently and back up a few steps. However he never took his eyes off her. He looked at her hungrily. Carly quickly broke the eye contact and studied her hands quietly for a few moments to regain her composure. Once she was sure she was ready to face him again she looked up him. Jack could see the determined set of her jaw and knew his meager attempts had failed. He took a deep breath and waited for her to speak.

"So…," she began.

"So," Jack repeated.

"When were you going to tell me about that woman from your past?" she asked quietly.

"What are you talking about?" Jack asked.

Carly glared at him a moment before answering.

"I'm talking about the woman you spent the week protecting. Why didn't you tell me about her?"

Jack groaned. He knew, of course, that this was who Carly was referring to but he wanted to hear her say it.

"Who told you about her?" he asked her.

"That doesn't matter," Carly said stubbornly shaking her head.

"It certainly does," Jack stated. "Who told you Carly?"

Carly stood there silently. She'd promised Rosanna she wouldn't say anything.

"I have my sources," she said secretively.

"Oh really?" Jack said curiously. "Who might these sources be? Are they reliable?"

"Very," Carly stated flatly.

Jack stood there assessing her for a moment. It was obvious where she'd heard it from but he figured if he played along that perhaps her attack would weaken and he could defuse her before she blew up. However, Jack was going to have a long talk with Daryl when he got back…

_Meanwhile…_

Daryl was sitting in his chair in first class on the plane ride home with his eyes closed. It had been a long month or so and he was glad to be done with this case. A part of him was sad to say goodbye to the FBI but another part of him was certainly anxious to get on with the rest of his life. He'd work for the bureau for a long time and had denied himself a lot of things during that time. He was more than ready for a little indulgence.

He'd dropped off the Davidson's at the courthouse in Chicago and left them with the FBI officers there for the trial. Instead of driving back to Oakdale, he'd decided to fly and save some time. He was anxious to be back in Oakdale permanently. He sat in the aisle seat and glanced toward the window. A woman's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Excuse me," she said softly.

Daryl looked up and met a pair of vivacious blue eyes. They belonged to the woman in the seat next to him returning to her seat.

"Of course," Daryl said moving his legs so that she could slide into her seat next to his.

"Thanks," she said smiling at him as she took her seat. She gave him a long look and he smiled at her.

"Is this your first time to Oakdale?" she asked him.

"No. I'm actually coming home," he told her and Daryl smiled at the thought.

"Me too," she smiled. "Well sort of," she clarified. "It's been a while since I've really lived in Oakdale. This place never really changes though," she said wistfully as she glanced out the window.

"How long have you been away?" he asked.

"That last time I was back was almost a year ago but I haven't really lived here for many years. How long have you lived here?" she asked politely.

"I've just recently moved to Oakdale," he told her.

"Ahhh, I thought so. I would have remembered seeing you around town," she flirted.

Daryl laughed.

"So what brings you back?" he asked her.

"Family," she said softly. The woman looked down and made a mental note that he wasn't wearing a wedding band.

"Are you happy to be back?" he asked.

"I am. I definitely need a break from my life. No matter what happens, it seems I always make the same mistakes over and over again," she said sadly.

Daryl looked at her and saw the sadness in her eyes. He instinctively felt the need to try and make her feel better.

"Well I hope this trip home is exactly what you need," he said sincerely.

"Me too," she nodded. She gave him a small smile.

The captain made his overhead announcement that they'd be lading in just a few minutes. People began collecting their belongings and getting themselves situated as the plane began its descent.

"I'm Molly by the way," she said extending her hand. "Molly Conlan."

"Daryl Sullivan," he said shaking her hand. "It's nice to meet you," he smiled back.

"It's definitely nice to meet you. Maybe I'll see you around," she grinned.

_Back in Oakdale…_

"So what exactly did this source of information tell you?" Jack asked.

He stood there with his hands on his hips waiting for Carly to give him an answer. He could see the wheels turning in her mind about what she should and shouldn't say. Clearly she didn't want to get Rosanna into any hot water but on the other hand she really wanted to know the whole story and she wanted to hear it from Jack. He stood there waiting patiently for her to make up her mind.

"Several things actually… but I want to hear it from you." "Why don't you tell me the information you have and I'll let you know if it's accurate," he countered.

Carly was exasperated and she was tired of playing this game with him.

"How serious did things get between you and this woman?" she asked him.

"Nothing happened!" Jack told her shocked by the accusation. How could she even think that of him? Now he was starting to get angry.

"Oh come on Jack," Carly sighed. She placed her hands on the table between them and leaned forward. "Nothing… really?" she said mocking him. She gave him a look that clearly said she didn't believe him.

Jack could feel the anger starting to bubble just beneath the surface.

"Are you seriously going to stand there and accuse me of cheating on you?" Jack leveled at her, his voice rising. He took a step forward so that the table was directly between them. He leaned against it so that their faces were just a few inches from each other.

"What? No! I'm not talking about this weekend… I'm talking about before," Carly threw back at him.

"Before what? Before I met you?" Jack asked her incredulously.

"Yes! What happened between you and this woman before you met me. I thought I knew about all the women in your life Jack," she threw at him.

There was a soft knock on the door before it opened. Margo peeked in and glanced around the room. Jack and Carly stood up straight. Jack began pacing angrily and Carly stood her ground and looked at Margo.

"Is everything alright in here?" she asked looking from Carly to Jack.

"Everything's fine," Jack said through gritted teeth.

Margo glanced at Carly.

"Just clarifying a few things," Carly told her.

"Well if you're both sure."

Margo looked over at Jack.

"Try and keep things down," she directed him as she closed the door behind her.

"Thanks Margo," Jack said quietly as he waited for her to close the door before rounding on Carly again.

"Carly, you do know about all the women in my life! I can't believe you're getting so upset over something so completely inconsequential," he said leaning against the table again.

"Forgive me Jack… but you have a tendency of picking some real winners when it comes to the women in your life," she said sarcastically.

Jack raised an eyebrow and gave her a look.

"Other than me… of course," she clarified.

Jack sighed as he ran a hand through his hair but couldn't help but smile just a little even though he was beyond aggravated by this whole situation.

"I met Tracy a long, long time ago. We went out once or twice… I don't even remember it."

"And…," Carly said waiting.

"_And_… that's it," Jack said shrugging his shoulders.

"That's it?" Carly asked, repeating him. "There's nothing more to tell?"

"No, there's nothing more. I went out with her once or twice, like I said, and then I was called for assignment and that's it. I left town and I never saw her again until just a few days ago."

"So, you just left town and never spoke with her again?"

"Yes."

"Then why, if it's just nothing, did I have to hear about it from R… from someone else instead of from you," Carly said catching herself before blurting out her sister's name.

"Because there was _nothing_ to tell," Jack stated matter-of-factly.

Carly stood there and just glared at him. She leaned in close and her voice got real quiet.

"You know Jack… if the roles had been reversed… you'd be livid that I'd kept something from you. I can't even count how many times we've had this argument. And so now that the shoe is on the other foot… somehow doesn't matter. Because, in your opinion, there was nothing to tell it automatically makes that true. Well you know what Jack… that doesn't work for me. I have a right to be just as angry as you would have been."

Carly stormed from the room throwing open the door behind her. As she headed through the station room she nearly bumped into Daryl who was just coming in.

"Hey Carly!" he said happy to see her.

Carly ignored him as she continued past him out the door.

"Carly! Don't leave like this," Jack called from the other side of the station.

Daryl looked toward the direction from which she'd come and saw Jack standing in the doorway of the interrogation room with a frown on his face.

"Jack," Daryl said with a nod of his head as he walked toward him.

Jack continued to watch Carly's retreating form until she turned the corner and disappeared from view. He then directed his attention to Daryl.

"Just the person I wanted to see," Jack leveled at him.

Daryl had the distinct impression that this wasn't going to be a pleasant conversation.

_Across town…_

Carly walked into the house after having picked up Michael from Emma's. She sat the diaper bag down on the desk and headed upstairs with him to change her clothes. She put Michael in his bouncer in his room and then slid it down the hall to her room so she could keep an eye on him while she changed. She threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. She slid Michael back down the hall to his room where she picked him up and sat with him in the rocking chair. She nursed him and sang to him quietly until he fell asleep and then she laid him in his crib for a nap. She closed the door softly and headed downstairs when she heard a knock at the door. She opened the door and was pleasantly surprised to see her Cousin Molly standing in the doorway.

"Molly!" she exclaimed throwing her arms around her and hugging her.

"Hey Cuz!" Molly hugged her back.

"Why didn't you call first? I would have picked you up at the airport," Carly said scolding her. "Come in."

"I didn't want to bother you and besides… it gave me a chance to check in at the Lakeview."

"What? Molly, I told you could stay here with us," Carly said taking a seat on the sofa.

"I know you did but I didn't want to crowd you guys. You have all four kids plus you and Jack. You didn't need one more person running around here," she told her by way of explanation.

"I know but I was looking forward to spending time with you," Carly said sadly.

"We can still spend time together, Cuz."

"It's just not the same. However," Carly said getting a smile on her face. "You will be seeing a lot of me at the Lakeview," she said secretively.

"Why?"

"Well… you are officially looking at the new Head Designer of the Lakeview!"

"What! Are you serious? Lisa agreed to that?"

Carly laughed.

"Yes, she did… with a little persuasion from Lily."

Molly suddenly became quiet at the mention of Lily's name.

"Lily, huh? How is Lily?" Molly asked curiously.

"Lily is fine," Carly said knowing that her cousin was really more interested in how Holden was doing but was trying not to show it.

"She and the kids are good. Holden is still living with Emma," Carly offered up the information.

"Oh," Molly said nonchalantly.

Carly gave her cousin a knowing look.

"What?" Molly asked innocently.

"Nothing," Carly said giving her a smile and a pat on the leg.

"So… Lisa is letting you redecorate the Lakeview. Wow… I never thought I'd see the day," Molly said jokingly.

"You and I both. When Lily first came to me with the idea I thought she was crazy. However, Lisa reluctantly agreed. I actually just found out today." "Well, congratulations! Are you and Jack planning on celebrating tonight," Molly asked giving her cousin a wink. "If you need a babysitter… I'm available. Speaking of babies… where is the little guy?"

"He's upstairs napping. I just put him down. As for celebrating… I don't think that's going to happen. In fact, I haven't even told Jack yet."

"Why not? Were you planning on surprising him?"

"No. I actually forgot all about my good news until just now. I had other things on my mind."

"Like what?"

"Like some strange woman from Jack's past," Carly told her.

_At the station…_

Jack held the door open for Daryl as he walked into the interrogation room. Daryl walked in and turned around to face his friend. Jack closed the door before turning toward him.

"What's up Jack?"

"I'd like to know how Carly found out about Tracy?" he asked looking his friend in the eye.

"What?" "How did my wife find out about Tracy?" Jack repeated.

"Oh… I guess she heard about her from Rosanna," Daryl sighed. "What happened?"

"Oh nothing much. Just Carly coming to the station and accusing me of keeping some secret woman from her. Thanks a lot Daryl," Jack said sarcastically.

"Sorry Jack. I had no idea she'd say anything to Carly."

"You shouldn't be talking about the case in the first place," Jack said exasperatedly. "Secondly… they're sisters. They're going to talk. You'd better learn that quick," Jack told him. "What exactly did you tell Rosanna?"

"Nothing much. Just that you and I both dated her," he began.

"Daryl! You make is sound like I had some sort of relationship with her. I only went out with her like twice. _You_ dated her… for a couple of months if I recall. No wonder Carly nearly bit my head off. What else did you say?"

Daryl grimaced. Jack wasn't going to be happy with him.

"I may have mentioned that Tracy was kind of hung up on you," Daryl said sheepishly.

"Damn it, Daryl! No wonder Carly was so upset. I'm telling her one thing and Rosanna is telling her something else entirely."

"Look Jack… I'm sorry. I seriously had no idea this would blow up like this," Daryl apologized again. "Was Carly really that upset?"

"You saw her just now… did she look happy to you?"

"I suppose not. What can I do? Do you want me to talk to her? Because I will. I'll talk to her and explain everything," Daryl told him.

"No. Carly will just think that I put you up to it," Jack sighed. "I'll explain everything to her and hopefully she'll understand. However," Jack began giving his friend a look. "Next time… keep your mouth shut. Especially about a case."

"I will," Daryl said regretfully.

"Speaking of… how did things go today?" Jack asked. "Did the transfer at the courthouse go smoothly?"

"Yep. No problems. Phillip and Tracy Davidson are officially no longer our responsibility," Daryl smiled at him.

"Good," Jack said relieved. The sooner he put that chapter away the better.

"Oh there is one thing," Daryl said hesitantly. "Though you won't be thrilled to hear it… especially after everything today," Daryl said gesturing with his hands.

"What is it?" Jack asked tentatively.

"Tracy had a message for you," Daryl said grimly.

Jack just looked at his friend with a look of trepidation.

"She said to say thank you and…"

"And…," Jack said waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"And… she said until next time."

"What does that mean?" Jack asked.

"I have no idea," Daryl told him.

"Neither do I but it doesn't sound good," said Jack ominously.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Jack walked in the front door of his house in Milltown carrying a large bouquet of roses and was greeted by an empty living room. He'd been hoping to find his wife at home. The last time he'd seen Carly, he was watching her retreating form as she stormed out of the station.

"Carly…," he called out waiting for a reply.

Jack took a moment to listen for her but he didn't hear any rustling going on upstairs. He laid the flowers on the desk and took off his jacket, draping it over the back of the chair. He was about to call out her name once more but was startled to see his wife's cousin walk out of the kitchen carrying his youngest son.

"Look whose home," Molly said to Michael as she walked into the living room.

"Molly!" Jack said surprised. "I had no idea you were in town," he smiled walking over to her and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"I just got in this afternoon," she smiled back at him.

"I see you've met the little man," Jack said smiling down at his son who cooed and grinned up at his father.

"He's such a handsome boy," Molly said giving the baby a kiss on his cheek. "He looks just like you Jack."

"Why thank you," Jack grinned. "Say… where's your cousin?" he asked her.

"Your beautiful wife?" she asked and Jack nodded. "She ran to the store to get something for dinner. She said she'd be back in just a bit." "Oh," Jack said a bit disappointed that Carly wasn't there to talk to.

"I thought that perhaps you guys would go out and celebrate…," Molly told him, giving him a sideways glance.

She took a seat on the sofa and set Michael on her knee. She began to bounce him gently as he sucked on his fist.

"Celebrate?" Jack asked giving her a confused look. "Celebrate what?"

"Carly's new job," Molly told him.

"What job?" Jack asked immediately but then thought about it. "Oh… you mean the Lakeview job?"

Molly nodded.

"That's fantastic news."

"I thought that's maybe what the flowers were for," she said indicating to the roses on the desk. "But then I just remembered that Carly told me that she hadn't even told you yet about the job."

"No… she didn't," Jack said quietly.

"She must have had other things on her mind," Molly said giving him a look.

Jack sighed.

"She told you?" he asked shaking his head.

"Of course she told me," Molly replied. "Jack… what were you thinking?"

"Not you too, Molly," Jack sighed. "Look… like I told Carly. Nothing happened. I had forgotten all about Tracy until I saw her again last week. I seriously don't understand why Carly is making this such a big deal."

"Really? You really don't understand?"

"No… I really don't." Molly smiled up at him.

"Let's say the roles were reversed and Carly had spent the week with an old flame," she began but Jack immediately interrupted.

"Tracy is not an old flame," he said adamantly.

"Well that's not the story I got," Molly said. "Regardless… if Carly spent the week with some guy and didn't tell you about it, I don't think you'd be very understanding about it either." "But Carly doesn't have anything to worry about."

"Are you saying you would have something to worry about?" Molly asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"No! I know Carly would never cheat on me but who knows about the other guy. Carly is a very desirable woman," he said matter-of-factly.

"And you're not too bad yourself," Molly laughed. "Carly trusts you Jack… just not the other woman."

Realization kicked in and it all suddenly made sense as to why Carly was as upset as she was.

"Thanks Molly," Jack told her. "I get it."

"Any time."

"So… how mad is she?" Jack asked wincing a bit.

"It's nothing that Snyder charm can't fix," she grinned.

_Meanwhile…_

Carly walked down the sidewalk toward the pizza place. She figured she'd pick up some pizzas since it was the easiest thing to do for dinner. Carly felt guilty. She'd completely forgotten that Molly was coming. What with Jack being gone all week, the new job and that woman from Jack's past coming out, she'd completely spaced on Molly's visit. She had all these thoughts running through her mind that she really wasn't paying close attention to her surroundings and that's when it happened. She ran smack into a gentleman walking the other way.

"Oh I'm so sorry," Carly apologized looking up into the face of the man she'd run into.

"It was my fault," the man said looking down at her and he smiled as he realized whom he was speaking to.

"Kyle… I mean Mr. Gregson," Carly said smiling up at him. "I wasn't looking where I was going," Carly told him. "It was totally my fault."

"No… really it was me. I was on the phone. Are you alright?" he asked placing a hand on her arm. "I didn't hurt you did I?"

"No, I'm fine," Carly laughed. "Nothing bruised or broken."

"Good. I wouldn't want my new designer injured," he joked.

"You have nothing to worry about there."

"What are you doing downtown by yourself? I would have thought you'd be out celebrating. Isn't your husband excited about your new job?" he asked.

"Oh… yeah… well, you know how things go with family and stuff. I haven't gotten around to telling him yet," Carly clarified. "I'm sure he'll be thrilled. Actually my cousin is in town and we're just going to have a quiet time at home. Pizza…," she finished lamely pointing to the pizza parlor just down from where they were standing.

"I see. Well there's nothing wrong with that," he smiled kindly. "I hope your husband appreciates his talented wife though," he said giving her a wink.

"He does," she nodded. "Jack is great. He's my best supporter," she told him.

"I hope so. I see a bright future for us Carly. Together, we'll turn the Lakeview into something amazing. I'm really looking forward to working with you," Kyle said sincerely.

"Me too," Carly said softly. "I'm so grateful for this opportunity. I won't let you down," she assured him.

"I don't think you could ever do that," he smiled. "Have a good night."

"Thank you… you too," she said and she watched him walk off in the direction he'd been headed in before they'd bumped into each other.

_At the Lakeview…_

Daryl rode the elevator up to Rosanna's suite. He was looking forward to when he'd actually be able to go to his own place rather than the hotel. Not that the Lakeview wasn't nice, it certainly was. However, after all his years with the FBI, Daryl was looking forward to actually settling down in his own home and really making it just that… a home. Plus, it wouldn't just be his home; he'd be sharing it with Rosanna. He exited the elevator and walked down the corridor toward her suite. He pulled out the key card and swiped it across the door. The light turned green and he turned the handle and walked inside. He set his suitcase down and hung up his jacket in the closet. He glanced around the room. The small dining table off to the side was set for a romantic dinner for two complete with candles. Daryl heard some soft music playing in the background but he appeared to be all alone. He headed for the bedrooms and was met by Rosanna coming out dressed in a tight black dress that clung to her in all the right places. Daryl smiled as his body immediately responded to the vision of her.

"Hi," she said softly gifting him with a smile.

"Hi," he replied walking over to her.

He held his arms open and she slowly walked into his embrace as she wrapped her arms around his waist naturally. He kissed her tenderly, letting his lips linger slightly before pulling back a bit so he could look down at her.

"I missed you," he said.

"I'm glad you're back."

"Me too," he grinned.

"And…," she began a little hesitant, "…it's finished? You're no longer with the bureau?"

"It's all done. You are now officially looking at the newest member of the Oakdale PD."

"I can't believe it," she said hugging him tightly feeling giddy.

"Neither can I. It may take some getting used to though," he said hugging her back. "I've worked so long with them that it'll be strange just staying in one place. But in a good way," he quickly clarified when he felt her body stiffen slightly at his comment.

"I'm sure there will be times when you'll miss that aspect of it. I just don't want you to one day regret the choice you made. I would hate if that were to happen," she started.

"Rosanna listen to me," he said lifting her chin. "I will never feel that way. I'm positive I made the right decision."

"As long as you're sure," she said looking up at him with big blue eyes.

"I am," he told her.

His voice dropped and Rosanna detected a hint of huskiness to it and she smiled.

"I ordered dinner," she told him. "It should be here shortly. I wasn't sure when you'd be home."

"That's perfect. It'll give me a chance to change. It's been a long day with the flight and all."

"Did everything go alright in Chicago?"

"It did. The trial started and hopefully it will be over with quickly and the testimony will do it's job."

"Yes… let's hope so," Rosanna said feeling relieved that it was done.

"However… I had a little chat with Jack today," he said nonchalantly as he headed toward the bedroom.

"Oh," Rosanna replied as she began fidgeting with a loose thread on her dress.

"Yes. It seems that Carly somehow found out about Tracy…," Daryl said leaving the statement hanging.

Rosanna groaned inwardly and sighed. She knew Carly wouldn't keep her mouth shut. She turned and slowly headed into the bedroom after him.

"Daryl… I'm sorry," she said her eyes closed and her head downward. "I didn't have any clue that Jack…," she continued on but suddenly stopped as her eyes caught sight of Daryl undressing in the bedroom.

His shirt was completely unbuttoned and hanging open to reveal his chiseled chest. He was kicking off his shoes and he undid his belt and unbuttoned the top of his pants before pulling off his dress shirt.

"Yes?" he said to her waiting for her to finish.

"That Jack… uhmm… would find out. I mean that Jack… hadn't told Carly anything," she stammered.

Daryl just gave her a slow smile.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything to Carly," she finished softly.

"I'm sorry. I put you in an awkward position and I should never have talked about the case with you. It's my fault. I'm not upset with you," he told her walking over to her.

Rosanna was mesmerized by him and just watched him as he closed the distance between them. Her eyes couldn't help but wander from his face to his chest and beyond.

"I'm not used to having someone in my life so I've never had to worry about what I can and cannot share. It's going to take some getting used to," he said as he lowered his head so that his lips were very near hers.

"I'm glad you're not mad. I was prepared to have to make it up to you but…," she said coyly.

"I'd be interested in that," he grinned before lowering his lips to hers.

_Back in Milltown…_

Carly walked into the house carrying four large pizzas. Molly spied her walking in and jumped up to help her with them.

"Do you think you have enough pizza there, Cuz?" she asked grabbing the boxes out of Carly's hands.

"I certainly hope so. I have two teenage boys in the house Molly… you have no idea how much they eat. It's crazy! I seriously cannot keep food in this house." Molly laughed as she carried the pizzas into the kitchen.

"Where's Michael?" Carly asked her as she set her purse down and glanced around the living room.

"Jack has him upstairs. I think he's was changing him," Molly told her.

"Jack's home?"

"Yep. You know, I still can't believe that Jack actually doesn't mind changing diapers," she said shaking her head. "Oh and I told him by the way."

"Told him what?" Carly asked confused.

"About your new job," Molly told her.

"You what? Molly… I wanted to tell him that," Carly complained.

"You did? I wasn't sure you were even going to be speaking to me," came Jack's voice down the stairs as he made his way to the living room with Michael.

"Look who's all clean," Molly exclaimed reaching for Michael.

Jack handed over his son to Molly but the whole time his eyes were on his wife.

"I'll let you two talk," Molly offered heading toward the stairs.

"No… it's time to eat. The kids are starving I'm sure," Carly said turning from Jack and walking around him to the bottom of the stairs.

"Kids…," she yelled up. "It's time to eat."

Jack, Carly and Molly heard a rustling of activity coming from the floor above followed quickly by three sets of feet hurrying down the stairs.

"We'll talk later," Carly said to Jack coldly before heading into the kitchen.

After dinner, in which Molly did most of the talking, Parker, JJ and Sage headed back upstairs. Jack took Michael up to put him down for bed while Molly and Carly cleaned up.

"You know… you don't have to be so hard on him," Molly told her finally to break the silence. "He even brought home flowers," she said indicating to the large bouquet of roses in a vase on the buffet.

"You don't understand Molly. He would have hit the roof if I'd kept something like that from him," she told her as she carried the empty pizza boxes into the kitchen.

"I know, but that was the old Jack. He didn't think about the situation from your side he was thinking about it from his. In his mind he would never ever cheat on you and so he doesn't even see how it's an issue. The woman meant nothing to him and so there was nothing to tell. It was a job to him, nothing more," Molly said following her with an armful of glasses.

"That's not the point. The point is that Daryl told Rosanna about it. Jack should have trusted me and told me that he knew the woman he'd been watching. He wouldn't have had to go into specifics about the case but he should have been the one to mention it to me not Rosanna."

"All I'm saying is that you need to go easy on him. He loves you and I know he's sorry. Don't let him suffer too long," she grinned heading back into the living room.

"Humph. I think he could use a little punishment," Carly told her as she followed her.

"I'll let you two discuss the details about all that," Molly laughed. "Sounds a bit kinky to me."

"Molly!" Carly laughed as she playfully hit her on the arm.

"I'm just saying…," she joked as she grabbed her purse.

"Are you heading out Moll?" Jack asked as he came down the stairs.

"I am," she said giving Carly a look when she sensed her cousin's body stiffen at Jack's arrival. "It's been a long day and you two really need to have that talk now," she said firmly half scolding her cousin. "I'll call you tomorrow."

"Good night," Jack said giving her a smile.

"Night," Carly muttered under her breath as she kissed her cousin's cheek. "You know… you should be staying here and not the Lakeview," she reminded her.

"Maybe… but it's a good thing I'm not. This way, you guys can have all the privacy you need," she winked as she headed out to her rental car parked on the street. "Night!"

Carly closed the door slowly as Molly headed down the walkway. Jack stood patiently at the bottom of the stairs waiting for his wife to be ready to finally talk this out. Carly fiddled with some papers on the desk and then walked over to the sofa and began fluffing pillows. She straightened some things on the cocktail table before she finally took a seat on the sofa. She kept her hands in her lap and took a deep breath before looking up at Jack with a slight glare on her beautiful face.

"Well…," she said indicating with her hands, "Let's get this over with."

"Go ahead," Jack told her.

"What?" she asked irritated.

"Go ahead and yell at me. Be mad at me… get it out of your system," he told her softly as he walked over and took a seat next to her on the sofa.

Carly sat quietly for a moment so Jack continued.

"You have every right to be mad. I would have been if I'd been in your shoes… so go ahead… be mad."

"You're right… I do have reason to be mad at you," Carly agreed with him.

"You absolutely do," Jack nodded.

"If I'd kept that from you… you would have left me," Carly railed at him.

"Once upon a time… I probably would have," Jack said softly, the guilt evident in his voice. "I was very insecure about our relationship Carly."

"I have no idea why," Carly told him truthfully.

"I was always afraid that there might be someone else out there who was better for you."

"Why would you ever think that when you were all I ever wanted?"

"Because I wasn't always all you ever wanted," he said quietly. "I'm not saying that to hurt you, I'm just saying that because that's how I used to feel. We both hurt each other over the years and I know I did most of the damage. My pride being the main contributor. However, that's all in the past and that has nothing to do with what's going on now. I kept something from you and I shouldn't have. I should have been honest with you. You have every right to be angry with me for as long as you need to be. I want you to know I'm sorry and I won't keep anything from you again," he said sincerely.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"The real reason?"

Carly nodded.

"The truth is… that once I was back in Oakdale, my only thought was of you and the kids. I'd missed you and once I was home you were all that was on my mind."

Carly gave him a look that was slightly skeptical.

"I'm serious Carly… that's the absolute truth. But we're talking about it now… so go on. Ask me anything you want to know and I'll tell you."

"Anything?"

"Anything I can divulge that has nothing to do with the FBI's case," he clarified.

"Alright… what's her name?

"Her name is Tracy Davidson, formerly Tracy Cooper."

"And she's married?"

"Yes to Phillip."

"And when did you know her from before?"

"Back when Daryl and I were partners in Washington, I met Tracy at a restaurant. This was about a year or so before I met you in Montana," he clarified.

"And how long did you date her?" Carly asked folding her arms.

"I think we went out on maybe two dates… I honestly don't remember. I do, however, recall that I wasn't really interested and I was more than eager to take the assignment which eventually led me to you," he added sweetly.

"Don't try and sweet talk me," she said shaking her head. "How far did things go between the two of you?"

Carly could feel herself bristle at even uttering the words; she wasn't sure how she'd take the answer… especially if it was one she didn't want to hear.

"I may have kissed her once. It wasn't memorable," he assured her with a grin. "Nothing like what you and I have always had," he said lowering his voice.

Carly's body responded involuntarily. Her heart raced and she could feel her resolve slipping.

"What did you guys talk about during the week?"

Jack took a deep breath and thought about how he should answer. He'd hoped that Carly's questions would be limited to his past encounters with Tracy… not what he'd just gone through. However, he'd promised to be truthful and so truthful was what he'd be.

"Actually, we talked about the past. She remembered more of it than I did."

"And…," Carly asked urging him to continue. "What else did she say?"

"She asked a bit about my life. I told her I was married with kids," he offered.

"And how did she feel about that?" Carly asked.

She could see the slight change in demeanor in Jack once they were on the subject of what recently transpired.

"It didn't phase her either way."

"What does that mean?"

"Well, she made it clear that she wasn't happy in her marriage," Jack said quietly.

A sudden realization hit Carly full force. This woman had actually propositioned Jack. If she ever saw her, she'd rip her hair out!

"And she was fishing to see if you were unhappy too," Carly finished for him.

"Pretty much," Jack told her.

"No wonder you didn't want to talk about it," Carly said standing up.

"Carly," Jack sighed standing up too.

"No Jack… I understand."

"Clearly you don't or you wouldn't be upset," he told her.

"I'm upset because some woman from your past is wanting to pick up where you left off and you didn't bother to tell me about it!" she said raising her voice.

"I wanted to get home to you so badly that once I left that house, I pushed Tracy and her ramblings out of my mind for good. I'm never going to see her again so there's no point in even discussing it," he said raising his voice right along with hers.

"Did she try and kiss you?" Carly asked.

"I think she wanted to kiss me… yes."

Carly just glared at him shaking her head.

"So what… who cares what she wanted? Are you going to tell me that the roles haven't been reversed with us? How many times did Craig want to kiss you when he knew we were together?"

"That's so not the point!"

"No… it's not. The point is that regardless of whether or not Tracy wanted to kiss me… I would never have kissed her. You should know that and trust me on that."

"I do trust you… I just don't trust this Tracy woman. I swear to you Jack, if I ever meet her…," she started.

"You won't," Jack said coming up to her and grabbing her arms. "You're the only woman I've ever wanted," he said huskily, their bodies' just inches from each other.

"But…," Carly tried arguing before Jack lips descended on hers effectively silencing her.

His arms slid seductively down her arms before slowly wrapping themselves around her waist and pulling her against him. His lips traveled over her chin and down her neck until he reached his favorite spot at the base of her throat. Carly's head fell back and she moaned slightly at his touch. Jack pulled her body closer and she arched naturally against his. His hands roamed over her back as her own wound around his shoulders. Her nails dug into him as he nipped gently at her neck.

"I'm all yours," he mumbled against her skin.

His breath was warm and it sent goosebumps erupting all over her body. He lifted his face to look into her blue eyes. There was a fire burning there behind her blue eyes and he gave her a sexy grin.

"Damn straight," she grinned back at him. "Only mine… and I don't like to share."

Jack's hand found the hem of her shirt and quickly slipped underneath it. His strong hands grabbed her waist and began fumbling with button on her jeans. He quickly undid the button and began pushing them off her waist. Carly helped shed her jeans and then went to work on his while Jack's hands quickly removed his own shirt. They quickly shed most of their clothing until they were down to just the basics. Jack pulled Carly back into his arms and backed up to the couch. Carly gave him a bit of a push and Jack took a seat and Carly quickly climbed astride him. She could feel the hard length of him pressing against her and began grinding against him as her lips collided with his. Jack held her hips and directed her movement and set the rhythm. Their tongues began their own dance and Jack moaned with want and desire. Carly braced her hands on his shoulders as she began to move faster against him.

"I want you," he muttered as his lips trailed kisses down her neck once more to the top of her breasts, the fullness of them taunting him.

With one hand he cupped her breast and fondled the nipple feeling it harden instantly. The other hand wrapped tightly around her waist. Carly shifted slightly and directed Jack to lie back on the sofa. Bracing herself with one hand she began to discard her panties. Jack took her lead and quickly shed his boxers. Once those barriers were removed, Carly once more climbed on top of Jack. She felt the tip of his shaft resting against her and began moving against him, once more creating that dangerous friction. Jack groaned and grabbed her hips and lifted her up slightly before quickly sheathing himself inside her. Carly arched her back in delight, relishing the fullness of him.

"Yes," she moaned as she began to rock back and forth.

As Carly arched her back, Jack reached up and unhooked the back of her bra, allowing her breasts to fall free. He reached up and cupped them as she continued to rock against him. She enjoyed the feeling of control as she gazed down into his handsome face, giving him a sexy grin. Jack let one of his hands slip between them. He located the sensitive nub at her core and teased it until he felt her body tense. Carly moved faster and faster against him until she felt her release. Jack sat up slightly and pulled her mouth to his as she cried out, kissing her hard. He felt her body relax slightly and he took advantage. He deftly switched positions with her without breaking contact. Carly now lay on her back with Jack hovering over her. He slowly began to thrust inside her building the tension within her again. He nuzzled her neck, letting his tongue taste her.

"It's always been you Carly," he breathed against her skin. "Only you."

"And only you for me," he panted as she grabbed at his shoulders.

His mouth moved down her chest and Carly lifted her breast to his mouth. He sucked the hardened nipple into his mouth teasing it with his tongue. Carly could feel her body edging closer once again and she moved her hips with his. Jack pumped harder and faster as he too was nearing his release. Carly arched against him, her nails digging into his skin as he felt her body climax once again. Jack thrust into her over and over until he too reached his release. He lay on top of her spent, their hearts racing, and their bodies sweaty. Jack propped himself up onto an elbow so he could look his wife in the face.

"I love you," he said sincerely as he brushed a blond curl back from her face.

Her cheeks were pink and her lips were swollen from their kisses. She was so sexy like this.

"I love you too," she replied letting her fingers brush lightly against his lips.

"I know you're probably still mad," he grinned at her. "But I hope this helped a little bit."

Carly cast her eyes downward. He was too damn sexy for his own good and his charm was always her downfall.

"It helped a bit," she said stubbornly, avoiding eye contact.

"Well… if we did it again… would it help a little bit more," Jack laughed huskily.

Carly looked up into his dark brown eyes and a sexy smile spread across her face despite herself.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt…," she said grinning back at him before his lips descended on hers once again.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

It had been a week since Molly first arrived in town. She'd been staying at the Lakeview the entire time despite Carly's protests to have her stay with them. However, Molly had remained adamant that she stay at the hotel instead. She sat in the lounge downstairs about mid-morning with a glass of orange juice, a muffin and a bowl of fruit in front of her along with a copy of today's paper.

"Molly…right?" came a voice beside her at the bar counter.

Molly turned to her left and looked into the handsome face of the man she'd met on the plane a week ago.

"That's right. You have an amazing memory," she beamed at him. "Darren… was it?"

"Daryl," he corrected her.

"Sorry," she apologized.

"No, it's alright. You were close. Are you staying here at the Lakeview?"

"Yes, for the time being."

"I thought you had family here in town," he replied.

"Wow. You really do have a great memory," she told him, flirting with him.

"It comes with the job."

"Oh?"

"I'm a cop," he explained.

"Well that makes sense then," she grinned. "My cousin is married to a cop."

"Oh yeah?"

"Molly?" came a woman's voice from behind them.

Molly glanced past Daryl and saw Rosanna standing not too far away. Molly inwardly groaned. She'd made nice in the past for Carly's sake… however, Rosanna was not one of her favorite people.

"Hello Rosanna," Molly said putting on a fake smile.

"I thought that was you. Carly said you were in town," she said coolly.

Rosanna smoothed her hair back… something she always did when she was irritated, Molly noted.

"Here you are… I was looking for you," Rosanna said turning her attention to Daryl and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"You two know each other?" Daryl asked confused.

"We're sort of related," Molly told him ignoring Rosanna's blatant attempt to mark her territory.

"And that means that Carly…," he began.

"Is my cousin," Molly finished for him.

"How do you two know each other?" Rosanna asked a little unsettled with their familiarity.

"We sat next to each other on the plane ride from Chicago," Daryl explained.

"Oh, Rosanna said softly.

"That's an amazing coincidence," Daryl stated looking from one woman to the other.

For being normally very perceptive, he was completely oblivious to the fact that both women wanted nothing to do with the other.

"We should get going," Rosanna told him.

Molly smiled at Rosanna knowing that she felt threatened by her.

"It was great seeing you again," Molly smiled at Daryl. "I was hoping I'd bump into you."

"Yeah," Daryl smiled at her. "It was nice to see you too."

"We'll see you around Molly," Rosanna said as she grabbed Daryl's hand trying to effectively end the conversation.

Daryl followed Rosanna and then paused for a moment before turning back around to Molly.

"Say Molly?"

"Yes," she smiled.

"Rosanna and I are having a little get together tonight. Kind of a house-warming party. Carly and Jack are going to be there. Since your family, you should be there too," he told her.

"What?" Rosanna breathed aloud.

"You don't mind do you honey? What do you say?" Daryl asked turning to Rosanna.

Putting her on the spot like that… she could hardly say no.

"No… of course not," she smiled through gritted teeth. "We'd be happy to have you there Molly. Unless you have other plans this evening?" she asked hoping that Molly would decline.

"Nope. I'm completely free tonight," she grinned at Rosanna.

"Great!" Daryl said enthusiastically.

"Perfect," Rosanna said but felt that it was anything but.

_Later that day at the Lakeview…_

Carly sat at the desk in one of the office suites at the Lakeview. She had a huge collection of fabrics, paint cards and carpet samples spread out all over the desk. She was mixing and matching, coming up with all sorts of different combinations trying to find the perfect match. So far nothing spectacular jumped out at her. A knock at the door brought her out of her focus giving her a much needed break.

"Come in," she grumbled.

"Is it a bad time?" Kyle asked walking into the room.

"Mr. Gregson," Carly smiled pleasantly even though she wasn't prepared for his visit.

"How many times must I tell you… its Kyle," he corrected her.

"I'm sorry… Kyle," she said as she began picking up all the samples off her desk. "Sorry this place is such a mess."

"No, no… don't apologize. That's the creative side. I was just stopping by to check in on you. Do you have everything you need?" he asked.

"Yes, I do. Everything is great. Lisa has been wonderful and it's been nice being able to work here at the Lakeview."

"Well good. I'm glad Lily and Lisa had an extra office available for you," he smiled at her as he walked around to stand behind the desk next to her.

He glanced down at the various sample combinations Carly had been playing with. He leaned a hand down onto the desk and reached in front of her to pick up one of the carpet samples. Carly rolled her chair a little to the right in order to give him some room.

"I like this one," he told her placing it in front of her on the desk.

"So do I," Carly said looking over at him. "I keep coming back to that one again and again. I really like the color and I think it will hold up well over time." "You know what they say about great minds," he grinned.

Carly laughed.

"This is the swatch of fabric I think would really work with that but I can't seem to find the right color combination for the paint."

"What about this one?" he asked picking up a sample and setting it next to the fabric.

"I think it's too dark. It might work as an accent color though," she offered.

They continued looking over samples together working side by side when another knock sounded on the door. Before Carly could answer, the door opened and in walked Jack.

"Where's my beautiful wife?" he asked walking into the room.

He stopped short when he saw that Carly wasn't alone.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt," Jack apologized.

"You're not," she smiled up at him getting up from her chair and walking over to him.

The look on Kyle's face said otherwise, however.

"What a nice surprise," she softly before giving him a quick kiss and a hug. "Jack… this is Kyle Gregson. Kyle… this is my husband Jack Snyder," she said making the formal introduction.

"It's nice to meet you," Jack told him extending his hand.

Kyle shook his hand and gave him a polite smile.

"You too," Kyle responded.

Jack turned his attention back to Carly.

"I thought I'd stop by and take you out to lunch… but if you're busy working…," Jack hesitated when he noticed the other man's demeanor.

"No, no… I'd love a break. In fact, it's probably exactly what I need," she told him. "Thanks for your help Kyle. I really think that carpet is the way to go," she told him grabbing her purse from behind the desk. "I'll see you later?" she asked him.

"I'm not going anywhere," Kyle told her giving her a smile but not before giving Jack a smug look.

Carly smiled in return as she headed out the door. Jack gave Kyle one last glance as he closed the door behind them. Something about him didn't sit right with Jack.

A little while later, Jack and Carly sat in a booth at Al's after having placed their order. Carly reached under the table and gave Jack's knee a squeeze. He glanced over at her surprised.

"What was that for?" he asked giving her a slight grin.

"For coming to take me to lunch," she smiled leaning over and kissing his cheek.

She moved to lean back again but Jack stopped her by cupping the side of her face, holding her chin slightly.

"Come back here," he whispered huskily right before his lips touched hers.

Jack kissed her softly and yet Carly could detect something more. He broke off the kiss slowly and looked into her smiling blue eyes.

"What was that for?" she whispered repeating his same question.

"For coming to lunch with me," he told her.

"I told you… I needed a break."

"I think Mr. Gregson wasn't too happy about it," he told her raising an eyebrow.

"Kyle? No, I'm sure he was fine. He'd just stopped by to check up on things. You know… to see how things were going with Lisa. Make sure she wasn't giving me any trouble."

"Has she?" Jack asked concerned.

"No, she hasn't," Carly smiled. "Actually, I haven't seen much of her. I think she's keeping her distance. Which is just fine by me."

"What do you know about this Mr. Gregson?" Jack asked as casually as he could.

"Why?" Carly asked looking at Jack. "What's going on in that G-Man mind of yours?"

"Nothing. Just looking out for my wife," he told her slightly defensive.

"There's nothing to worry about. He's been very kind and very supportive," Carly assured him.

"Still… what do you know about him?" he asked.

Carly smiled at her husband and indulged him in what she knew.

"He's from some design firm in New York. He comes highly recommended."

"Anything else?" Jack asked curious.

"Not too much. Oh… but just between you and I, I think Lily has a little thing for him," Carly grinned.

"What? Really?" Jack asked perplexed. "I thought she and Holden were trying to work things out. At least that's the story I got from Holden." "Well they might be, but I'm not so sure. When I spoke with Lily a few weeks ago, she said that she wasn't sure if they'd ever be able to get past everything. They've hurt each other a lot."

"I know," Jack said softly. "But they love each other. If they want it bad enough then they'll do whatever they need to, to fix things."

"Like we did?" Carly asked him.

"Yes. I thank God every day that I finally came to my senses and realized that living without isn't an option."

"Took you long enough," Carly teased.

"Too long," he said huskily.

"You can make it up to me later," she told him giving him a sexy grin.

"You can count on it," he grinned back.

Jack and Carly finished their lunch and Jack walked her back to the Lakeview. He walked her into the lobby and to the elevator. Carly pushed the button and turned around to face Jack while she waited for the doors to open.

"Thanks again for lunch," she smiled giving him a soft kiss on his lips.

"You are welcome. How late do you think you're going to be tonight?" he asked.

"Not too late. I'll probably even beat you home," she told him.

"Oh you think so do you?" he said wrapping his arms around her waist.

Carly laughed softly as Jack kissed her neck.

"Wanna bet on it?" she asked him.

"No," he laughed. "Definitely not."

"Smart man," she winked.

"I'll see you later tonight," he told her kissing her cheek as the elevator dinged with its arrival.

Carly stepped into the elevator and turned around and waved to Jack. He watched until the doors closed before turning around and heading back toward the front door of the Lakeview. He glanced over and happened to notice Kyle Gregson sitting in the lobby with a drink in one hand and his phone in the other. He made eye contact with Jack and gave him a smile as he continued to talk on the phone. Jack gave him one last long look before heading back to the station.

Kyle, meanwhile, finished his conversation. He took a long sip as he listened to the woman on the other end.

"Yes. I just met him. He's exactly like you described him," he answered.

"Perfect," she answered and he could tell she was smiling. "Mr. Snyder will be suspicious of you and that will work to our advantage. How are things coming on the other end?"

"Nothing much to report… yet," he added to assure her that he was still working on that.

"I think it's time to take things to the next level. You need to use your charm to break through that barrier. From what I've heard… that shouldn't be too hard."

"I don't know. I think you may have underestimated her," he replied.

"Are you questioning me?" she asked her tone sharp.

"No… of course not," he replied trying to smooth things over.

"Good. You'd better not forget who's in charge here," she warned him.

"I haven't," he assured her. "I will add that while I haven't made an in with Mrs. Snyder… it might work to our advantage anyway."

"How so?" the woman asked.

"Well… if Jack is suspicious and Carly isn't, we can pit them against each other," he suggested.

"I don't care how it's done… just make sure it is done. Are we understood?"

"Absolutely," Kyle acknowledged as he hung up his phone and headed upstairs.

The elevator opened and Kyle walked down the hall toward Lisa Grimaldi's office. He knocked on the door and waited for her answer before entering.

"Mr. Gregson… what a pleasant surprise," she flirted with him.

"Hello Lisa," he smiled warmly to her. "How are you doing this afternoon?"

"Why I'm just grand. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I need your help," he told her.

"Oh?" she asked. "With what?"

"We need to take the next step," he said vaguely.

"What exactly is that?" she asked still feeling slightly uncomfortable with the whole situation.

"I finally got a chance to meet Mr. Snyder today."

"Jack? He stopped by?" she asked.

"Yes. And I got the feeling he wasn't too thrilled to have his wife working with me."

"What did he say?"

"It wasn't so much what he said. I could tell he was trying to figure me out." "Well… Jack is a detective… that's his job. And he's always been protective of Carly. Even when they're weren't together." "Well, Jack thinks I'm a threat."

"A threat to what? His marriage?" Lisa asked surprised. "Has that little blond tramp been flirting with you already?"

"No. Mrs. Snyder has been completely professional with me. Too professional."

"Humph… that doesn't sound like Carly," Lisa snorted unconvinced.

"Well she has. Which is why we need to take the next step," he told her.

_Across town…_

A short time later, Jack walked into the station and took a seat at his desk. He immediately began typing on his computer. Daryl walked down the stairs and spotted Jack at his desk.

"How was lunch?" he asked him walking over to his friend.

"It was good," Jack said distracted.

"What did you have?" Daryl asked him.

"Food," Jack replied vaguely still concentrating on his computer screen.

"I figured that," Daryl said sarcastically. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Jack said trying to concentrate.

"Obviously it's not nothing. What's got you bothered?" Daryl asked him again.

Jack sat back in his chair frustrated with the lack of information he was getting from his computer. He ran a hand through his hair as he glanced up at Daryl. A sudden realization dawned on him.

"You can help me," Jack smiled to himself.

"Help you with what?" Daryl asked yet again.

"I need to find out all you can about a Mr. Kyle Gregson," Jack told him.

"Who?"

"Kyle Gregson… Carly's new boss… partner… or whatever he is," Jack told him.

"Why do you want to know about him?"

"There's something up with that guy."

"Like what?"

"I'm not sure. I'm just getting a weird vibe from him. Can you do that for me?"

"What exactly do you want me to do?"

"I want to know who he is, where he comes from, what's in his past… everything."

"Don't you think you're being a bit paranoid? What exactly did this guy say to get you so determined?"

"It's not exactly what he said, its more how he was acting."

"What does that mean?"

"He definitely wasn't happy that I showed up to take Carly to lunch," Jack told him.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes… and don't look at me like that," Jack said defensively.

"What?" Daryl smiled.

"Like that… like you think I'm getting all possessive of Carly."

"Well? Are you?"

"No… it's not like that. Carly is my wife. I'm a cop. It's perfectly natural that I would want to make sure she's alright. I'm just looking out for her."

"Does Carly know you're checking on him?"

"No… and I'd like to keep it that way," Jack told him. "So don't go telling Rosanna anything."

"Fine. Are you sure about this?"

"Absolutely. I want to know everything there is to know about this guy," Jack said firmly.

"Alright… you got it. I'll make some calls."

"Thanks," Jack smiled weakly.

"Are you still coming over tonight? Daryl asked him.

"For the housewarming party?"

Daryl nodded.

"We wouldn't miss it," Jack smiled.

"Great," Daryl replied. "I invited someone else too," he told him.

"Oh yeah? Who?"

"Molly Conlan."

"Molly? When did you meet Molly?" Jack asked.

"That's the funny thing. We met on the plane ride back from Chicago. Isn't that crazy?"

"Yeah, that's quite a coincidence. How does Rosanna feel about Molly coming?"

"She's fine with it. Why wouldn't she be? They're family," Daryl replied.

"Well kind of. But Molly and Rosanna haven't always gotten along."

"Rosanna seemed ok with it," Daryl told him.

"Well if you're sure. Aren't Holden and Lily coming too?"

"Yes. Why is that a problem?"

"My friend… you have a lot to learn about the dynamics of Oakdale," Jack laughed.

"What are you talking about?"

"Let me explain a few things," Jack said clapping him on the shoulder and pulling him into the interrogation room for more privacy.

_Back at the Lakeview…_

Carly sat back at her desk once again mixing and matching samples. She was holding a few up to the light when Kyle knocked on the door and walked in without waiting for her response. Carly looked at the door and smiled when she saw him walk in.

"Hey," she said.

"Hello. Did you have a nice lunch?" he asked casually.

"I did. Thanks. I hope you didn't mind me taking off like that?"

"Of course not. Why would I?"

"No reason… I was just checking."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Well actually Jack thought you might have been upset." "Did he?" Kyle asked amused.

"Jack is a detective so sometimes he over analyzes everything."

"I see. Well you can tell your husband that I wasn't upset," he smiled.

"Good," she returned his smile. "I was just looking at these paint samples. What do you think about these for the hallways?" she asked him as she got up from her chair and walked over to him.

Kyle took the samples from her and gave them a look.

"I like them. But let's not settle on them just yet. We want to make sure that we find the perfect colors. We've got lots of time, let's not rush it," he said softly.

"Alright," Carly told him agreeing.

"We want to do this right," he told her.

"I agree."

"I have every confidence that you are the perfect woman for the job."

"Thank you Mr. Gregson."

"What have I told you," he laughed lightly rubbing her upper arm.

"I'm sorry. Kyle… thank you," she repeated.

"That's better," he smiled at her.

Kyle walked around to the other side of the desk and began looking through the catalogs of furniture that Carly had been going through.

"Looks like you have a lot of options here," he told her smiling.

"Yes. I want to make sure that I look at everything and make the best overall choice. I realize the kind of opportunity I have here and I don't want to blow it. If this works out… I'll be able to possibly start my own design firm," she told him.

"I hope it happens for you," he smiled. "But like I said… you have a lot to sort through. How about some help? I'll order dinner and you and I can work on this tonight. There's no sense in you doing everything," he offered.

"That is very kind, but I have plans tonight. My sister is having a housewarming party," Carly told him.

"Of course. I understand. You have a life outside of work," he smiled.

"I don't want you thinking that I don't consider this a priority," Carly told him.

"I absolutely don't," he smiled walking back over to her. "I just forget that others have lives away from their jobs."

"Are you telling me that you don't have anyone in your life? Carly asked.

"It's been difficult to keep relationships when I travel as much as I do," he confessed.

"What about family?"

"My parents are both deceased. I was an only child," he informed her.

"I'm sorry," she said sincerely touching his arm gently.

"I thank you. It's been several years… but it's still hard when I stop and think about them," he said sadly as he turned and walked toward the window overlooking Oakdale.

"Well perhaps you'll find someone soon," she said hopefully, trying to cheer him up.

"That would be nice," he said wistfully. "I have met someone recently."

"Oh?" Carly said intrigued thinking back to Lily.

"However, knowing my luck, she's already be spoken for."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Carly smiled secretively.

Kyle turned around and looked at her and flashed her a smile in return.

"I like the sound of that," he told her.

_Meanwhile, downstairs at the Lakeview…_

A woman with strawberry blond hair walked into the lobby of the Lakeview with her cab driver walking in behind her carrying her bags. He followed her over to the front desk where he set them down beside her and waited. She reached into her purse and pulled out a twenty and handed it to him.

"Thank you," she told the cab driver.

"Thank you ma'am," he said tipping his hat slightly before heading back out to his waiting car.

The woman turned back around and greeted the man at the front desk.

"Hello," she smiled at him. "I need a room."

"How long will you be staying with us… uh… Ms.….?"

"My name is Johansson… Tracy Johansson," she smiled. "And I hope to be staying for quite some time," she grinned.


End file.
